ELEVENTH PLAN
2007-2012
WORKING GROUP DOCUMENT
VOLUME 1
Government of India
Ministry of Earth Sciences
2006
VOLUME 1
S.No INDEX Page
No.
PREFACE 1
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
1.1 Ocean Development 4
1.2 Atmospheric Sciences 11
1.3 Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan (2007-2012) 20
A OCEAN DEVELOPMENT 20
B ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 24
1.4 Yearwise Summary of Financial Requirement 28
1.5 List of Members of the Expert Group 29
VOLUME 2
(OCEAN DEVELOPMENT)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
2.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 31
3.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 43
3.1 Polar Science 43
3.1.1 Polar Science & Antarctic Expedition 43
3.2 Polymetallic Nodules Programme 46
3.2.1 Survey and Exploration 46
3.2.2 Environmental Impact Assessment 47
3.2.3 Technology Development (Extractive Metallurgy) 47
3.2.4 Technology Development (Mining) 49
3.3 Ocean Observation and Information System(OOIS) 51
3.3.1 Ocean Advisory and Information Services 51
3.3.1.1 Potential Fishing Zones Advisories 51
3.3.1.2 Operational coastal ocean wave & current forecast 53
3.4 Marine Research and Technology Development 53
3.4.1 Assessment of Marine Living Resources 53
3.4.2 Drugs from Sea 60
3.4.3 Assistance for Research Projects (OSTC & Manpower Training) 61
3.4.4 Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction system(COMAPS) 66
3.4.5 Exhibition, fairs etc.(Ocean awareness activities, Seminars, Symposia, 66
Conferences, Lectures, Debates etc. )
3.4.6 Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management 71
3.4.6.1 Assessment of vulnerability due to shoreline changes 72
3.4.6.2 Determination of Waste Assimilation Capacity of coastal waters 72
3.4.6.3 Storm Surge Inundation Modelling 73
3.4.6.4 Ecosystem Modelling 73
3.4.6.5 Marine Ecotoxicology 73
3.4.6.6 Web GIS Based Coastal Risk Atlas 74
3.4.7 Marine Non-Living Resources(MNLR) 76
3.4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt Crust Exploration 76
3.4.7.2 Geological Studies of Indian Ocean Basin 78
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
3.4.7.3 Studies of Hydrothermal Sulfides 81
3.5 Information Technology 82
3.6 Coastal Research Vessels(CRV) & other Research vessels 82
3.7 National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) 82
3.7.1 Energy and Fresh Water from Sea 83
3.7.2 Deep Seabed Mining 84
3.7.3 Coastal & Environmental Engg. 85
3.7.4 Marine Instrumentation, sensors, acoustics 86
3.7.5 Island Development 88
3.7.6 ARGO Floats 94
3.7.7 Gas Hydrates 95
3.7.8 National Data Buoy Programme (NDBP) 96
3.7.9 Offshore operations 97
3.7.10 Offshore structures 97
3.7.11 Vessel Management Cell (VMC) 98
3.7.12 Capacity Building, Infrastructure, operations etc 99
3.8 Delineation of Outer limits of Continental Shelf 100
3.9 Comprehensive Topographic Surveys 101
3.10 Studies on Gas Hydrates Exploration & Technology Development 102
for Its Assessment.
3.11 Acquisition of New Research Vessel 106
3.12 Data Buoy programme/Integrated Sustained Ocean Observations 107
3.13 Tsunami & Storm surges Warning System 109
3.14 National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research(NCAOR) 110
3.14.1 Establishment of New Permanent Indian Base in Antarctica 110
3.14.2 Southern Ocean Studies 111
3.14.3 In house R&D, infrastructure, capacity building at NCAOR 112
3.15 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) 114
3.15.1 Information Bank and Web-bases services 114
3.15.2 Ocean Science and techniques Development 116
3.15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and data assimilation 116
3.15.2.2 Satellite Oceanography 117
3.15.3 Ocean Observations 118
3.15.4 R&D, Infrastructure and Capacity Building 120
3.16 Seafront facility 121
4.0 NEW SCHEMES 123
4.1 Expedition to the Arctic 123
4.2 Desalination Project 124
4.3 MLR: sea front facility (Rs. 23.50 cr) and vessel requirement(Rs. 250 124
cr)
4.4 National Oceanarium 125
4.5 Demonstration of Shore Protection measures through Pilot project 126
4.6 Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme 127
4.7 Ice class Research vessel 129
4.8 Infrastructure 130
5.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT 131
6.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 134
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XI Plan Proposals
VOLUME 3
(ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
7.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 139
7.1 IMD 139
7.2 NCMRWF 147
7.3 IITM 150
8.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 156
8.1 India Meteorological Department(IMD) 156
8.1.1 Space Meteorology 160
8.1.2 Meteorological Telecommunication 161
8.1.3 Observational System 162
8.1.4 Instrumentation Development 163
8.1.5 Cyclone Warning & Research 163
8.1.6 Forecasting Services 164
8.1.7 Aviation Services 165
8.1.8 Hydro Met Services 165
8.1.9 Agro Met Services 166
8.1.10 Seismology 166
8.1.11 Seismic Hazard & Risk Evaluation 168
8.1.12 Environmental Studies 168
8.1.13 Research 169
8.1.14 Human Resource Development 170
8.1.15 National / International Cooperation 170
8.1.16 Infrastructural Development and maintenance 171
8.2 National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting 171
(NCMRWF)
8.2.1 Global Modeling and Data Assimilation System 172
8.2.2 Mesoscale Prediction System 175
8.2.3 Extended Range /Seasonal Prediction System 176
8.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure and Services 177
8.2.5 Agromet Advisory 178
8.3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) 182
8.3.1 Asian Monsoon Variability and Predictability 182
8.3.2 Application of Satellite Data in Weather Fore-casting and Large-Scale 183
Hydrological Modelling
8.3.3 Short-Term Climate Diagnostics and Prediction 184
8.3.4 Cloud Modelling 184
8.3.5 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics 184
8.3.6 Aerosol and Climate Studies 185
9.0 NEW SCHEMES 187
9.1 IMD 187
9.1.1 District Meteorological Information Centres 187
9.1.2 Early Warning System 187
9.1.3 Climate Research & Monitoring 188
9.2 NCMRWF 189
9.2.1 Satellite Radiance Data Assimilation System 189
9.2.2 Climate Modeling System 190
9.2.3 Environmental Prediction System 191
9.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure Upgradation 192
9.2.5 Infrastructure Development and other facilities 192
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9.3 IITM 194
9.3.1 Dynamical Prediction System of Seasonal Mean Monsoon Rainfall 195
9.3.2 Extended- Range Prediction of Active and Break Spells of the Monsoon 196
9.3.3 Science of Climate Change and Monsoon 196
9.3.4 Urban Air pollution and Transport Modelling 197
9.3.5 High Performance Computer 197
9.3.6 Observation Programmes for Studies of Interaction between Clouds 198
and their Environment including acquisition of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning Network
• Atmospheric Pollution Prediction System
• GPS Radiosonde
9.3.7 Training Programme 200
9.3.8 Information System in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences 201
10.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT) 202
11.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 204
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PREFACE
The earth and ocean constitutes this globe. When coupled with atmosphere, it’s this
beautiful living planet. This very planet offers immense opportunities and challenges through
its varying nature expressed strongly through weather and more evidently in the changing
oceanic and atmospheric conditions. Floods, cyclones, hurricanes, storm surge, are such
known vagaries of nature. Indeed, this has been the subject matter of inquisition and
enquiry. While, common human perception distinguishes the tera firma, the oceans and the
atmosphere from each other, we are slowly learning to look at these three systems as a part
of a bigger entity earth-system. The formation of Ministry of Earth Sciences is an initiative in
this direction. This is bound to unravel the interlinking forces playing within and influencing
the weather, climate and the environment around us. India has a coastline of about 7500
kilometers, and the seas around India influence the life of about 370 million coastal
population and the living of about 7 million strong coastal fishing community. Understanding
our ocean and weather is therefore vital to their livelihood. Gathering adequate knowledge of
the potential of ocean space especially within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about
2.02 million sq km (our landmass area being about 3.27 million sq km) forms a key area for
multidisciplinary research which is again closely linked to weather and atmosphere. Further,
the resource potential of our ocean would be enhanced with the delineation of continental
shelf extending significantly beyond the existing EEZ.
I may recall the Department of Ocean Development was established in 1981, with a
primary mandate of formulation and implementation of programmes in ocean science and
technology for long term scientific, technical, economical and geopolitical benefits. Right
from the inception of the Department, it has been implementing national programmes such
as Polar Science and Polymetallic nodules. With the adoption of ocean policy statement and
U.N conference on Environment Development in 1992 and with UN Convention on Law of
the Sea coming into force in 1995 for India, the activities of the Department were expanded
and oriented towards exploration and exploitation of living and non-living resources within
our EEZ and beyond for the socio-economic benefit and sustainable development of marine
sector.
For effectively implementing programmes, projects and missions in the forefront of
Ocean Science, Technology and Services; two attached Offices were set up viz. the Centre
for Marine Living resources and Ecology (CMLRE) at Kochi and the Project Directorate for
Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM) at Chennai; Three autonomous
Institutions viz. the National Centre for Antarctic Research (NCAOR) at Goa, National
Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) at Chennai and the Indian National Centre for Ocean
Information Services (INCOIS) at Hyderabad, as well as nine Ocean Science and
Technology Cells in universities/institutes and a chain of Marine Data Centres at National
Institutions. The Department also maintained the permanent research station - Maitri in
Antarctica apart from a fleet of oceanographic research vessels, which are well-equipped
floating laboratories.
In a short span of over two decades, the Department/Ministry has done a creditable
job by carrying out work of scientific and technological excellence and social relevance,
addressing very important issues such as: (i) science in Antarctica and India’s presence in
Antarctic Treaty System, (ii) oceanographic surveys and analysis of data for claiming Legal
Continental Shelf of 1.5 million sq.km, (iii) Setting up of a dedicated storm surge and tsunami
Warning system,(iv) all aspects of deep sea Polymetallic Nodule programme including
exploration, sea bed mining and extraction of strategic metals such as copper cobalt, nickel
and manganese, (v) desalination plant demonstration (vi) Percolating the benefits of
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XI Plan Proposals
development of technologies for Low temperature Thermal desalination for local population
through setting up of 1 lakh litre plant in Lakshadweep islands (vii) improving understanding
of Indian Ocean with a comprehensive network of observing systems (viii) marine
instrumentation and technology development (ix) regular ocean information and advisory
services including the Potential Fishing Zones (x) marine living resources and drugs from
sea and (xi) integrated coastal area management.
The Ministry has developed a close interaction at both research and operational level
between the scientific community and ensuring that there is a seamless flow of data,
information and knowledge that percolates down to the end users, thereby getting integrated
with the development process in the country. The setting up of a desalination plant with a
capacity of generating 1 lakh litre freshwater per day based on technologies developed has
brought direct benefits to the islander community and more than 1 crore litre of freshwater
has been generated so far. The data on various met-ocean parameters collected from
moored data buoys in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal has been of immense value to the
India Meteorology Department in forecast of weather and cyclones. The potential fishing
zone advisories have brought direct economic benefits to the 7 million fishing community of
the coastal states and island territories, by reducing search time and improving catch per
unit effort up to 50 %.
The excellent work of the Ministry has enabled India to gain an important position
globally in the oceanic realm. Scientists of the Department are occupying key positions in the
apex bodies on ocean affairs e.g. (i) Vice Chairman of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission of UNESCO, (ii) Chairman of the Regional alliance in Indian Ocean for Global
Ocean Observing System, (iii) Regional Coordinator for International Argo Project in Indian
Ocean, and (iv) Member of the Executive Council of International Seabed Authority. India is
represented by the Department as one of the 28 Consultative Members of the Antarctic
Treaty System.
However, it was increasingly felt that the technological advances can not be realised
into the ocean development without understanding the atmosphere. Similarly, the role of
ocean in influencing the climate was also getting more and more evident. This has led to
consider land-ocean-climate coupled system as an integrated whole.
Any scientific policy that ought to reorient with the new dispensation of the Ministry of
Earth Sciences must take into account the need to integrate the ocean and atmosphere
related activities in the country, not so much as to treat them independently but more
importantly to recognize and encourage the science of the interface that can leverage into an
overall under framing. The activities in the core sectors of the two large subject areas must
simultaneously receive due attention because of immense possibilities of extracting diverse
services from them.
The India Meteorological Department is one of the oldest of organized meteorological
services of the world. In course of time it was evident that the nature of meteorological
phenomena was distinctly different not only in the tropics and mid-latitudes but also in
different geographic regions characterized by large ocean basins like that of Pacific, Atlantic
and the Indian Ocean. Thus topical research was the need of the day and the Institute of
Tropical Meteorology came up in 1962 and the National Centre for Medium Range
Forecasting came up in 1989. Today they complement each others role and add to the
overall scientific capability in the country.
The progress in meteorological service has been a gradual process till date. The
world has however taken a leap in recent decades towards atmospheric observations
network and electronic integration and the IT. The upgradation of our national facility is
therefore high on the agenda. The XI Five year plan being a path breaker in many ways is
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XI Plan Proposals
the best forum to address such an objective. Improving short range, medium range and long
range forecasts, Agromet Advisory Service, Civil Aviation support, earthquake monitoring,
are some of the important areas of current focus. For this purpose, our observational
network needs to be strengthened and automated with revamping. Numerical weather
modeling, state of the art climate and atmospheric research are the necessary
supplementing mechanisms to act as a dynamic feedback to improve weather forecast and
services.
Regarding Ocean Development, it is proposed to continue several important
continuing programmes with new elements viz. Polar Science and Antarctic Expedition,
Marine Living Resources, Mastne Non-living Resources, Marine Environment and Coastal
Zone Management, Ocean Observation and Information Services, Marine Research
Capacity and Technology Building, etc, while taking up chosen new programmes viz. Arctic
Expedition, desalination project, pilot project on shore protection measures, Integrated
Ocean Drilling Programme to name a few.
Recognizing the larger of role of earth sciences in the forthcoming 5 year plan period,
the Department convened a three workshops in October, 2005,June 2006 and September,
2006 to identify projects, programmes for taking up in XI plan upon review of continuing
programmes in X plan. More than 50 participants including eminent scientists attended the
workshop and reviewed the continuing programmes. The deliberations during the meeting
have culminated into the formulation of the draft proposals for XI Plan period enumerated in
this report. While the executive summary of all the proposals are contained in Volume 1, the
details of proposals on ocean development and atmospheric sciences are contained in
Volume 2 and Volume 3 respectively.
I sincerely thank all concerned for their contributions and guidance in shaping the
course of the Ministry for the next five years and beyond. The effort of the officers and
scientists of the Ministry of Earth Sciences in preparing this Report is commendable.
Dr. P.S. Goel
Chairman, Working Group
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Date: October 12, 2006
Place: New Delhi
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 Ocean Development
Ever since the establishment of the Department of Ocean Development in 1981, the
Ocean Science and Technology in the country has witnessed a significant progress primarily
guided by the principles enunciated in the Ocean Policy Statement. The major responsibilities
of the Department(now a Ministry) are formulation and implementation of programmes relating
to long term economic and technological development. The Ministry acts as a nodal agency for
the technology development, particularly in the areas relevant to economic and social
development of coastal population and also as an agency to formulate and coordinate Marine
Scientific and Technological projects for exploration of living, non-living and energy resources of
the sea and protection and preservation of its environment. Currently the activities of the
Ministry are directed towards the development of Technology with the active participation and
support of national R&D laboratories, educational institutions and industries to harness the
ocean resources. The Ministry of Ocean Development has played a pivotal role in harnessing
potential living and non-living resources from the seas around India, including the research on
Antarctica by implementing a wide range of schemes, which are highly multi-disciplinary in
nature that required a multi-institutional approach. The activities under these schemes range
from development of several cutting edge technologies, including deep sea mining technology,
to providing ocean information services; and conducting marine geophysical surveys,
development of potential drugs, setting up of metallurgical plant for extraction of metals from
polymetallic nodules, conducting front-rank research in polar and southern ocean studies.
Recognizing importance of translating scientific knowledge to the societal benefits, the Ministry
had strengthened infrastructure facilities in its three autonomous bodies (National Institute of
Ocean Technology(NIOT), Chennai, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS), Hyderabad, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, and 2
attached offices (Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi, Integrated
Coastal Marine Area Management (ICMAM), Chennai) primarily to carry out most of its activities
during the X Plan. These institutes, each having specific responsibility, now matured enough to
execute any kind of activity pertaining to ocean sector.
Some of the significant accomplishments during the X Five Year Plan (reviewed in Ch.
2(Volume 2 of this document) are:
(i) Development and demonstration of desalination technology to cater to the needs of freshwater
in coastal states and island territories of India,
(ii) Providing of Potential Fishing Advisories to fisherman, and Ocean State forecast for various
stake holders,
(iii) Setting up an interim early tsunami & storm surge warning system,
(iv) Strengthening of ocean observing network by deployment of state-of-the-art technology data
buoys and Argo floats, to operational weather forecast and climate variability studies,
(v) Indigenous development of buoys, tide gauges to meet the requirement of ocean
observations,
(vi) Development and transfer of technology of lobster and crab fattening for the benefit of smaller
fisherman community,
(vii) Networking of institutions for conducting polar research,
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XI Plan Working Group Document
(viii) Completion of geophysical surveys for delineation of Continental Shelf
(ix) Close grid surveys in the allotted area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin under polymetallic
nodule programme,
(x) Establishment of Extractive metallurgical pilot plant to obtain Copper, nickel and cobalt from
the nodules found at the seabed,
(xi) Design development and demonstration of Remotely Operable Vehicle of 6000m depth
(xii) Development and testing of deep sea crawler at 500m depth
(xiii) Construction of Dyke at Haldia port leading to reduced cost of dredging, consultancy services
to Sethusamudram & Kalpasar projects,
(xiv) Launch of clinical trials two potential drugs (antidiabetic and antihyperlipedemic) from the
marine organisms,
(xv) Demonstration of leadership in the Indian Ocean region to address common issues of the
countries in the region
(xvi) Conducting multi-disciplinary studies to assess the Marine Living Resources in the Indian
seas, and to understand a large scale variation of fishery resources.
(xvii) Development of shoreline management plans in selected coastal sensitive areas and
establishment of marine ecotoxicology
(xviii) Continued systematic monitoring of coastal pollution to assess the health of the coastal seas
of India and
(xix) Strengthened basic research through setting up of a network of Ocean Science and
Technology Cells.
Having established a leadership in the field of ocean science and technology of the
country, the Ministry proposes embarking on specific application oriented projects, during XI
Plan, besides continuing some of the schemes launched earlier to address the basic science.
Considering the mandate and responsibility, the Ministry has formulated programmes, proposed
to be taken up during XI plan, in consultation with experts/eminent scientists of India. Towards
formulation of XI plan proposal, a 2-two day session with Group of Experts (GOE) was held at
NAAS, New Delhi on 19-20th October 2005 for deliberations on plans. The primary objective of
the session was to review the existing programmes and identify the areas/strategies for XI Plan.
The participants were eminent scientists associated with the activities of the Ministry, and
representatives of premier institutes relating to ocean activities including officers of the
Ministry. The salient features of the XI Plan proposals of the Ministry pertaining to oceans
(described in Chapter 3.1 to 3.16(Volume 2 of this document)) are summarized below: -
1. Front ranking research in Polar Science: The importance of Antarctica as a pedestal for
front-ranking scientific research was recognized by India way back in 1981 itself, when the first
Indian Antarctic Expedition was launched. Since then, India has made great strides both in
Polar Sciences and related logistics, through a judicious and harmonious blend of multi-
institutional expertise brought together under the umbrella of the Ministry of Ocean
Development. This has paved the way for the country to sustain its scientific endeavor in the icy
continent on a year-round basis, from the Indian Permanent stations “Dakshin Gangotri” (1983-
89) and “Maitri” (1989 – till date). The major endeavors for XI Plan under this programme
include (i) Launch of research expeditions to Arctic preferably through international cooperation,
(ii) construction of a new Antarctic Research Station to enhance research activities (iii)
establishment of a dedicated satellite based communication and data transmission system
between the Antarctic and India (iv) undertake southern Indian Oceanographic studies both in
terms of assessment of living and non-living resources (v) Collaborative projects during
International Polar Year (2007-08) (vi) Establishment of a dedicated facility at CCMB to
undertake studies related to microbial prospecting and biotechnological applications. In order to
undertake the proposed activities, an ice-class research cum logistic vessel is an essential
requirement and the same has been proposed for acquisition during the XI Plan. There is a
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strong justification to acquire such vessel both for undertaking regular expeditions to Antarctica
as well as conducting research in southern ocean, in the context of its importance from the point
of view of Indian Climatic variability.
2. Consolidation of Desalination Technology: After a great deal of experimentation in the
laboratory and field, NIOT has developed, and demonstrated commercial scale Low
Temperature Thermal Desalination plant. A land based 0.1 million liter per day (MLD) LTTD
desalination plant was commissioned at Kavaratti, in May 2005. In order to meet demand of
major coastal cities of India, it is important to upgrade LTTD technology to develop larger scale
plants up to 500 MLD capacity, which could be multiples of several basic modules of 25 – 50
MLD plants. Towards this end a 1 MLD barge mounted demonstration plant was taken up and
commissioned in April 2006. After addressing some problems and fine tuning, it will be
recommissioned in December 2006. The next step will be a 10 MLD barge mounted plant
whose design has been taken up. During the XI plan, NIOT would take up a scheme to design,
develop, and demonstrate the large scale desalination plants (25-50 MLD). To realize such a
large number of LTTD plants, NIOT will explore the industry partnership in a big way during XI
Plan. The ultimate goal of the endeavour will be to establish such desalination plants along the
coast and island territories of India to alleviate drinking water problem of coastal region
3. Providing of reliable Coastal Ocean Services: INCOIS, Hyderabad being the responsible
agency providing Ocean Information would provide all possible reliable services pertaining to
ocean sector during XI Plan to meet the requirement of a wide range of user communities in
India. The user-oriented data/data products would be generated and disseminated using
existing and upcoming satellite and in-situ data, on operational basis, such as Potential Fishing
zone advisories, Coastal Ocean State Forecast, using a wide range of media for dissemination
of information. These include setting up of electronic display boards, information kiosks in every
coastal village covering the entire coast of India for providing information including storms,
cyclones, weather, sea state, etc., INCOIS would focus on development & dissemination of
effective early warnings of oceanogenic disasters such as Storm Surges and Tsunami. INCOIS
should develop a core group in ocean-atmospheric modeling with a support of mix of ocean
observations. While INCOIS would make operational the ocean services, the other research
agencies like NIO, Goa will work on science aspects particularly for development and
improvement of these products.
4. World Class – Ocean Technology: Having demonstrated the ability to execute several
coastal engineering projects, NIOT is intending to emerge as a full fledged entity to take up all
the activities relating to development of marine technology during the XI Plan. NIOT is
concentrating mainly on:
(i) Design, development and demonstrate underwater technologies for deep sea mining
(ii) Development of underwater materials and sensors
(iii) Creation of sea front technology and other research infrastructure for testing of oceanographic
equipment. (These include Deep sea technology, Deep sea mining system for 6000 m, In-situ soil
testing in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, Marine vehicle Manned submersible, AUV ( up to 3000
m), Hybrid ROV, Infrastructure Marine Sensors and Electronics to support Underwater electronic
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support facility and component development, offshore structures, offshore operations,
development of SGS, XCTD, XSV, ultrasonic current etc.)
(iv) Coastal engineering, demonstration of coastal protection measures, Sediment transport atlas,
Rates and Constants Measurements for Mathematical modeling, Geomorphologic studies for
Siltation control in Hughly, Monitoring and Modeling of Thermal and Oil Spill Modeling Resource
Site, Deep water survey capability, Capacity Building for Marine Archaeology and Saltwater
Intrusion, conduct marine corrosion and antifouling studies and other ocean and coastal
engineering related projects.
5. Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (OSTI) : Having demonstrated the application
of marine technology to the benefit of common man, OSTI would take up development of Fish
Aggregating Devices, Continuation of lobster and crab farming activity, Island resource
information & GIS mapping Materials for marine application, Open Ocean Aquaculture of marine
organisms under controlled conditions to meet the increasing demand and dwindling capture
fishery resources. Further, it is planned to take up development of technology for micro algal
culture and value added products using deep ocean water along with the utilization of
bioprocess engineering technology for commercial production of phycocolloids, chemicals and
polysaccharides.
6. Integrated Coastal Marine Area Management (ICMAM) & Coastal Ocean Monitoring
Area and Prediction Systems (COMAPS): India has a vast coast line of over 7,500 km having
diverse marine environment enriched with living and non-living resources. Besides, the coastal
developmental activities have been increased vastly in the past few decades causing a great
threat to the flora and fauna of the region. In order to access the impact of these activities, it is
necessary to develop inundation map for the entire coast of India and develop ICMAM plans for
all the sensitive areas. During 11 Plan, ICMAM would concentrate on Demonstration of Ideal
Coastal Protection Measures, Coastal circulation, Ecosystem modeling, Marine Ecotoxicology,
Carbon cycling in coastal waters and Preparation of Coastal Risk Atlas. Although, the Ministry
has been monitoring the coastal waters by making systematic observations at regular interval in
selected locations, it is important to collect the additional parameters at more locations.
COMAPS should bring out periodically bulletins indicating the levels of these pollutants in
various regions particularly in the hotspot regions. More inter-calibration exercises campaign
should be organized. The programme need to tie up the coastal states to suggest measures to
mitigate the effects in the sensitive areas. Under COMAPS the work for XI Plan will be
continuation of existing monitoring, modeling and GIS data base programmes, undertaking of
modelling of movement of oil spills along Western and Eastern EEZ of India, Microbial
biodiversity of coastal waters. Acquisition of a new vessel for COMAPS programme as a
replacement of one or two Coastal Research Vessel(s).
7. Resource Mapping and Technology Development for Gas Hydrate: During X plan,
Ministry has so far addressed some of the scientific aspects of Gas hydrates and proposed
several concepts. These needs to be validated and the necessary technology also would need
to be developed simultaneously during XI Plan. In order to explore the possibilities of
harnessing the resources of Gas Hydrates, NIOT would identify suitable technology devices for
supporting offshore activities, Developing the submersibles and other tools suited for various
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applications, Developing skill base and infrastructure to support and maintain the deep ocean
systems. It is important to conduct validation studies at selected locations particularly for
demonstration of technology for exploration of these resources by enhancing the capability of
coring system Storage, transportation and processing gas hydrates, Independent ship and up-
gradation of support submersible. It is proposed to develop 6000m depth coring, Human
Operated Vehicle (HOV), Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), and Hybrid Submersible
(HYSUB). NIOT would also work on the associated Civil works required including Integration
facility with handling and storing systems, Facility for Factory testing, Facility for component
level qualifications, Infrastructure for working facilities, Laboratories for Electronics, etc
8. Limits of Continental Shelf: Under this programme, a considerable amount of work has
been done during the X Plan period particularly in terms of collection, processing, analysis and
interpretation of geophysical data beyond the Indian EEZ region. Currently, the work done so far
and the report on delineation of India’s continental shelf is under review. The Ministry is
currently working with MEA to submit claims earlier than the deadline of submission of May
2009. It is important to identify the gaps and complete the remaining part of the work. NCAOR
would initiate a comprehensive study of the geological and structural evolution of the Arabian
Sea and the Bay of Bengal sectors. During the XI Plan, the major facets include, study of the
Gulf of Mannar – its origin, whether it is a simple pull-apart basin or a nascent ocean developing
as Sri Lanka is drifting away, Delineation of the continental/ oceanic crust boundary on the
Indian plate, both off the Western and Eastern offshore, Structural evaluation of the 85° Ridge,
Offshore extension of the Deccan Volcanics, Formation of Chagos-Laccadive Ridge as a
consequence of Reunion hotspot trail, Imprint and implications of hot spots on the Indian
continental margin, Structural highs and gravity lows in the Bay of Bengal – the reasons for their
association, Fan sediment development vis-à-vis Himalayan orogeny.
9. Topographic survey: During X plan period, the Ministry conducted the geophysical survey
(seismic reflection and refraction, Gravity, Magnetic, bathymetry) of the Indian EEZ which is
important to assess the resources. The ministry should take up dedicated project on similar
lines for undertaking topographic survey of the Indian EEZ during XI Plan period, considering
the importance of the data generated from the survey in the context of exploitation of both living
and non-living resources.
10. Drugs from the Sea. : During the XI Plan, an Advanced Research Centre for Drugs from
Ocean” should be created at CDRI, Lucknow and a Taxonomic Centre to preserve the marine
organism in an appropriate location, as considerable progress has been made under this
programme which has been under implementation over a couple of decades. The MOD should
continue clinical test of two compounds (antidiabetic, antidyslipidemic) derived from marine
organisms are in the advanced stage of drug development. Besides, some lead compounds
found to be having potential activities such as antibiotic, antiviral, antileukemic should be taken
up for toxicity and clinical trials during XI plan. For speedy progress of work, it is important to
create infrastructural facilities, capacity building and develop skilled manpower. During XI Plan,
the work includes continuation of clinical evaluation of existing compounds and take up on new
activities such as Bioevaluation for anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and if
possible anti HIV compounds.
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11. Polymetallic Nodule: The potential of deep seabed mineral resources for strategic metals
was realized early and exploration was initiated for deposits of polymetallic nodules which lie
much beyond our EEZ. Multipronged progress was made simultaneously in exploration,
extraction of metals, development of mining system and the assessment of potential
environmental impact as well. Before the end of the Xth plan, the potential first generation mine
site for nodules in the Indian Ocean would be identified (this has been arrived after extensive
exploration of over 4 million square km of the Indian Ocean). For extractive metallurgy, routes
have been narrowed down and the development of a metallurgical plant having the capacity of
500 kg/day has been set up. As a progressive step towards exploitation of these resources, an
underwater mining system consisting of a crawler based mining machine has been developed
and tested for operations at 410 m water depth on the Indian continental shelf with the final aim
of designing and developing a system for mining manganese nodules from 6000 m depth.
Further, as part of the environmental impact of nodule mining, the seafloor was disturbed at a
test site and the progress in restoration and recolonisation has been monitored continuously.
12. Marine Living Resources (MLR) & CMLRE: The Marine Living Centre at Kochi should be
upgraded into a full fledged centre equipped with state-of-the art laboratory facilities and
research vessels to carry out sampling process and extraction of compounds. During XI Plan
CMLRE should undertake projects such as (i) Semi-Commercial Exploitation of Myctophid
Resources of Arabian Sea which has an estimate potential of 100 tons(ii) Resource assessment
of demersal stocks (200-1500m depths), Refine Harvest technology for deep sea fishing, Squid
jigging (iii) Monitoring & surveillance of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), Setting up HAB centre and
R&D on HAB (iv) Marine Benthos in the Indian EEZ (v) Fishery Oceanography (vi) Biodiversity
& census of marine life & (vii) Survey, assessment and semi-commercial exploitation of krill and
fishery resources from Southern oceans, and related studies.
13. Sustained Ocean Observation Network: The Ministry demonstrated design, development,
deployment, operation and maintenance of a wide range of ocean platforms, viz., Data Buoys,
Tide gauges, Weather Stations, Argo Floats, it is important to establish and operation of an
integrated ocean observations network. The in-situ observations from the oceans are the
backbone for any kind of operational services viz., storm surges, cyclones, monsoon variability,
tsunami etc. and research development including validation of data collected by remote sensing
satellites. NIOT should strengthen the observation network considering the actual requirement,
as the upkeep these networks are expensive. But the benefits derived from the data are
enormous. During XI Plan, the major work should be (i) integration of all the existing and
planned observations network Data Buoys, Tide gauges, Drifters, HF Radar, XBT, Current
meters, automatic Weather Stations, Argo Floats under one umbrella for wider utility, (ii) upkeep
of existing 40-buoy network & possibility of augmentation of the network using low cost buoys to
meet the requirement of operational weather services, (iii) setting up of 4 maintenance centers,
2 each on west coast and east coast of India for logistical operation and maintenance of
observation network in addition to the routine work elements.
14. Marine Research Technology Development (MRTD): During XI Plan, the programme
mainly should focus on (i) developing National Oceanarium (ii) increasing the number of
OSTCs: 9 to 20 (iii) Upgrading another one/two cells into Centre of Excellence (CoE) (iv)
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augmentation of all the continuing programme including Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Pollution
Control Non Marine Living Resources, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management.
Further, it is also important to work on other potential mineral deposits such as, sulfide deposits,
cobalt crust, etc., in the mid oceanic ridge including the Andaman Areas. In addition, Deep-
ocean drilling and core sampling would be taken up through the Integrated Ocean Drilling
Programme. Further, it is also proposed to demonstrate the shore protection measures through
pilot project to be implemented at selected locations. It is also proposed to take up soil testing in
the central Indian ocean basin
15. Human Resource Development: There has been manifold increase in the activities of
Ocean Development and it has become necessary to provide additional specialized scientific
and technical manpower to the organizations executing these programmes on a continuing
basis. Towards this end, it is proposed to induct and train the requisite manpower with the help
of concerned university, Departments, R&D centres and the participant institutions. The
additional requirement of scientific and Technical manpower during XI Plan is estimated as
around 1100. The funds for manpower Development have been earmarked in the respective
programmes/ institutes scheme. The provision of competent manpower is considered critical to
the success of the XI Plan programmes.
The total allocation sought for the XI Plan is Rs 6271.84 Crores.
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1.2 Atmospheric Sciences
Meteorological Forecasting is an age old practice which in recent decades has assumed vital
importance in management of disastrous phenomena and a plethora of activities that factor-in
meteorological information to raise productivity. The impact of meteorological services on
society in general and on safety of life and property in particular is so profound in financial and
social value terms that investment in a national meteorological infrastructure made in the right
earnest should always be considered to fetch high returns.
Various premier organizations of the country are involved in this gigantic task. The overall focus
and orientation of present and future activities are briefly provided below:
1.2.1 India Meteorological Department
A legacy of scientific achievements during the last 136 years and a demonstrated ability to
reform and adapt puts the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on the leading front of
scientific services in India. As a mature patriarch of the community it has created space for basic
meteorological research in the form of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, established in
1962 and the National Centre for Medium Range Forecasting in 1989, to specialize on medium
range forecasting in the country. In more than symbolic terms the migration of this community
from the Ministry of Science & Technology to the newly constituted Ministry of Earth Sciences
(MoES) in July 2006 has established an independent identity for meteorology and a new role for
related services in the country.
The international commitments of India embodied in a charter of understanding with the World
Meteorological Organization, rest mainly in the conduct of observations, data dissemination and
issuance of neighborhood services in the capacity of a Regional Specialized Meteorological
Centre for Tropical cyclones and a Regional Meteorological Training Center for the RA II region.
In addition, it participates in global and regional research programmes of the WMO.
The Observational infrastructure of IMD is its backbone. It has surface, upper air, Radar and
satellite components comprising of a mix of old and relatively recent systems. Coexistence of
various technologies, though good for stand alone applications, hampers compatibility required
for integration. In addition to conventional meteorological observations IMD is also the only
agency in the country which regularly monitors environmentally significant atmospheric
composition over the last 4 decades.
IMD presently issues short-range forecasts (up to 2-3 days) in spatial scales of meteorological
Subdivisions (numbering 36 in the country). A demand has now set in to assist local
governments at District levels to combat weather anomalies. This need for higher spatial
resolution would put a severe demand on forecasting capabilities because of low atmospheric
predictability at smaller scales. One must therefore resort to a much higher volume of data
assimilation in numerical modeling suitably aided by manual value addition - something that
cannot be dispensed with at the current state-of-art. A major revamp in materials and methods
would be inevitable.
IMD has been practicing numerical modeling for the last 30 years even with its limited computing
facilities. It has the requisite personnel and traditions that lead to success of numerical weather
prediction. The use of satellite data to supplement conventional observations is also on a
healthy rise. Moreover, experience has been earned in operation of sophisticated systems like
the digital Doppler Radar. Initial R&D has demonstrated the prospects of indigenous
improvement of upper air sounding equipment. Further, with a system of interaction with
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Research and Specialized Centres also being put in place, the IMD stands out as an ideal
candidate for a revamp that is now sought.
IMD has the responsibility to monitor earthquakes also. To detect the exact location and
parameters of a seismic event, data is required to be brought at a central location from a large
number of sensors. Recent advancements in telecommunication and computing technology
have given opportunity to reduce detection time and errors by a significant amount. Such
opportunities need to be availed and a rapid decision support system should be put in place
targeting the need for overall preparedness against natural calamities.
IMD had an approved outlay Rs. 309.00 Crores in the X Plan and has consumed Rs. 350.70
Crores. The major achievements of the X Plan described in section 7.1 (Volume 3) are
highlighted below:
1. cyclone warning and severe weather warning are now more specific and accurate with newly
acquired ability to diagnose the storm structure using Doppler Weather Radars installed at
Chennai, Kolkata, Machhilipatnam, Vishakhapatnam and Sriharikota,
2. dissemination of cyclone warnings directly to the concerned areas received a boost with
installation of 100 Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination systems along the Andhra coast,
3. upgradation of meteorological capability at 4 International airports was accomplished.
4. a Mountain Meteorology Centre was established at Delhi to provide meteorological inputs to
prediction of landslides, avalanches and flash floods,
5. capabilities in numerical weather prediction were improved by the induction of high resolution
models,
6. short range prediction lead time was extended from 2 days to 3 days with an additional 2 day
outlook by adopting a new forecasting approach wherein several model outputs are taken into
consideration,
7. a new Long Range Prediction model was introduced giving more lead time and also July rainfall
as an additional forecast product for helping Kharif crop sowing,
8. detection and response times were considerably lowered by upgrading the seismic monitoring
system, and
9. an Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre was established at Delhi for seismic microzonation.
Seismic hazard microzonations were carried out for the city of Delhi at a scale of 1: 50,000.
The common thread between these has been a conscious effort to introduce new services and
strengthen ongoing ones within the existing framework.
The XI Plan proposals of IMD were first reviewed by an expert committee constituted by
Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the Chairmanship of Dr. Harsh. K. Gupta, ex
Secretary DOD and the new thrust areas defined. Subsequently, the Planning Commission
constituted a Working Group within MoES in July 2006, Chaired by the Secretary MoES, for
formulation of XI Five Year Plan. This Committee invited expert opinion and consulted the
Regional heads of IMD to decide priorities and assess feasibility of the various schemes.
It is realized that the new demands are in the nature of a quantum jump. Agricultural production,
water resources management, disaster preparedness etc are keenly seeking accurate
meteorological information in their new system of operations. These services have been given a
major lift in the XI th Plan proposals. Subjects like Environment and Climate have also been
taken on board our new plans because of their undeniable impacts on society.
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The new thrust areas are: 1) Observation and Met Telecom System, 2) Weather Forecasting
System, 3) Specialized Meteorological services, 4) Seismology and Earthquake Risk Evaluation
Centre, 5) Climate, Environment Monitoring and Research 6) Human Resource Development, 7)
National & International Cooperation, 8) Infrastructure Development and 9) Capital Works.
Meteorology requires large inputs to advance forecasting capability even by a marginal amount.
Countries deploy technology at different levels in conformity with their strategy of using weather
as a resource. In India’s case with a large population, vulnerability to weather hazards are an
impediment to economic development and weather anomalies threaten to reduce productivity. It
must however be mentioned that IMD has addressed both these needs commendably till date,
especially for such a complex geographic region as this, but further improvement would require
significant upgradation.
The salient features of the XI Plan proposals of the Ministry pertaining to meteorology (described
in section 8.1 and 9.1 (Volume 3 of this document)) are summarized below:
1. Space Meteorology
Space meteorology has taken significant strides in India in the past 20 years. Cloud imageries
and satellite derived winds are being used regularly for meteorological assessments. But the
digital data that underlies these products have immense value if appropriately assimilated. On
the other hand, satellite remote sensing though somewhat short on accuracy, overcomes the
logistic limitation of establishing large number of in situ stations. It has been demonstrated that
this data can positively impact forecasting through optimization and numerical assimilation. With
the new INSAT 3D designed to carry several meteorological payloads the vast data that would
be generated would greatly facilitate high resolution model predictions. The present proposals
address the requirements of enhancing capabilities in data utilization. Capability will also be built
to access data from High Resolution Picture Transmissions of foreign polar orbiting satellites to
improve data quality by mixing. Space platforms shall also be utilized in a big way to
disseminate early warnings and Met communications.
2. Met Telecom
Telecom as a spring board of IT will be the mainstay of physical integration of all data and
information streams within IMD. Global connectivity will also have to be strengthened if IMD is to
introduce global modeling as a backend exercise for nesting high resolution models.
Upgradation of the Telecom Hub at Delhi is being envisioned to go beyond the present scope of
message routing to perform new functions viz. data base management, multi-technological
connectivity, web interfacing, application support and IT activities. It is also planned to run a real
time backup of these services in the event of a calamitous failure at the main center.
3. Observational System
The existing surface observatory network probably needs a major transition from off line
reporting to automatic satellite telemetry. This will throw open a large rainfall and surface
parameter data base to real time assessment thereby helping better depiction of weather events
in general and better estimation of water resources in particular. Rainfall being highly variable in
space needs a 25km x 25km density for adequate representation; hence 3500 automatic
raingauges are being planned. Similarly, 700 automatic Weather Stations proposed herein
would ultimately be a part of 1000 strong network at 80 km x 80 km density.
All the locations where upper air wind measurements are presently done using Radars will be
provided with theodolites for the specific purpose of tracking balloons thereby relieving the
Radars to carry out storm detection. A large number of stations measuring upper air winds up to
10 -12 km using the method of optical balloon tracking will also be refurbished by replacing old
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theodolites. Test equipment called wind tunnel is also proposed for replacement for extending
the range and accuracy of wind instrument calibration.
4. Instrumentation Development
The most significant of weather observations for forecasting are in the upper air. The present
number of stations is considered adequate. But the quality of sensors needs improvement and
conversion to digital systems to simplify data handling. New balloon sounding equipment of
indigenous design has been tried out and shall replace the ones used presently in the network.
The data from the new system is expected to improve upper air data quality and therefore the
predictions as well.
5. Cyclone Warning & Research
Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) have the capability to assess wind speeds and rainfall rates in
all directions around the installation covering a distance of ~ 200 km, thereby giving the structure
and severity of convection associated with storms and cyclones. Five of the existing 10
conventional Radars along the vulnerable east coast have already been replaced with DWRs
and have demonstrated the usefulness of the additional information thus generated. About 55
Radars are required to cover the entire country and keep round the clock vigil. However, during
this plan period it has been decided that an additional 25 number of Radars would be procured
to cover the entire coastline and thunderstorm prone areas with priority. These Radars will come
handy to nowcast several devastating phenomena like tornadoes, squalls, hail storms, cyclones
etc. In addition, their digital outputs will be directly assimilated into Numerical Prediction Models
for the purpose of forecasting and Research.
6. Forecasting Services
Forecast ranges currently in vogue are short range (1-3 days), medium range (4-10 days),
extended range (11-30 days) and seasonal (greater than 30 days). The first and the last of these
constitute the present forecasting services. Activities in the medium range – the current mandate
of NCMRWF, has a large R&D component at the moment. An ultra short range of 1-12 hrs,
known as “nowcasting” is practiced in some countries now a days to assist Aviation and Storm
warning. It is heavily dependent on Radar inputs. With arrival of Doppler Radars nowcasting will
be done in India as well.
Numerical models do not deliver the final product. Location specific value additions are required
to supplement model simulations. In the new scheme of things the regional forecast offices will
be empowered with data, products and tools to apply the fine scanner so to say and as for the
numerical products themselves, confidence can be built by correcting model errors from past
performances on an online basis and also by ensembling multiple model products to seek
convergence. These methods will ensure better performance at higher spatial resolutions. Thus,
the goal is reachable provided data and methods are appropriate.
A nested global and regional data assimilation system will be procured and installed by IMD to
make it completely self reliant in numerical weather prediction for operational purposes. In the
present system the model results of other global centers are used to initialize the regional
models of IMD. This results in considerable delay in the issue of final forecasts. Running both
global and nested regional models on the same computer platform would give tremendous
tactical advantages and can pin point sources of error for the purpose of R&D. High end
computers and supporting workstations clustered around in the network at various forecasting
offices would make an effective and strategic operational system.
7. Specialized Meteorological Services
IMD needs to strengthen its specialized services in areas such as Aviation in view of increased
safety concern in the rapidly growing industry. Airport Met facilities would be modernized to
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facilitate easy transmission of complete data and information to Airport Authority, Airlines and
Pilots.
IMD is providing Agromet Advisories for the last 30 years to all State Governments for
interpreting weather information for agricultural management. This system needs to be based on
a strong IT system so that a large number of clients can be handled by expert systems. In the
new scheme of operations networking with Agricultural Colleges, ICAR institutes, NCMRWF,
State Governments and local and National level TV, Radio etc will be accomplished so that a
single window service can be issued from IMD to reach the farmers and managers both.
Hydrological services shall receive a major thrust with installation of Satellite telemetry
rainguages so that large data would be available on real time basis for drought and flood
monitoring. The extension of World Bank aided Hydrology Project into Phase II covering
northern India shall strengthen the District rainfall monitoring programme in the region.
8. Environmental Studies
The Climate system is never static. Whether affected by anthropogenic emissions or not there
are natural cycles that cause drastic changes in climatic regimes. The observation of climate
change and the causative atmospheric environmental change are an integral part of observing
the atmosphere. IMD has a long standing programme on Ozone monitoring which in the last five
years has seen a comprehensive upgradation at its 4 centres chosen to represent the meridional
section of the country, principally because ozone varies latitudinally across the globe. However,
lower tropospheric ozone which is a bye product of pollution is gaining in climatic significance
because of high chemical reactivity. The eastern parts of the country are particularly prone due
to large scale biomass burning in the Northeast and in adjoining countries. In the new plan the
ozone network will be extended to the Northeast to study this.
Atmospheric composition with respect to green house gases, aerosols, ozone and acidic
precursors are planned to be monitored comprehensively and linked with global climate models
in order to understand the nature of their impacts.
9. Seismology and Earthquake Risk Evaluation
The Seismic network needs to be increased in density to be able to capture earthquakes of
lower magnitude, which are required for precursor studies, and more detailed zoning of
vulnerability. In addition it must be connected by telemetry to reduce the time lag of occurrence
and detection. Such a system will be especially required for Tsunami genic earthquake
detection. Geo technical evaluation of vulnerability at map scales of 1:10,000 is required by town
planners to redefine building byelaws. In this proposal some of the important cities with high risk
shall be taken up for such studies.
10. Human Resource Development
Induction of new technology by itself cannot deliver the goods unless proper utilization is done
and maintenance is up to the mark. Thus, with every new system such as Radars, Numerical
Models, Satellite retrieval and Observational equipment appropriate Training has been planned
and provided for in the outlay. In addition to the primary training there have been plans to
strengthen the routine in-house training programs to sustain the programs by ensuring a steady
availability of specialized manpower.
11. District Meteorological Information Centre and Early Warning System
Forecasts need to reach the end user at District, State and Institutional levels for application.
The outreach component of IMD’s activities needs to be strengthened so that graphically
displayed and well structured advisories can be made available at the destination be it an official
desk or a media room. IMD has a system of intimating official agencies but played a relatively
less important role in dissemination of its products directly to the public. It is realized that new
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communication and media trends have created opportunities to add depictive value to the
products and make them package-able for media consumption. On the request of the newly
formed Disaster Management Authority and the official electronic media agencies the XI th plan
therefore includes a series of projects to improve outreach at District levels and to the public at
large.
12. Climate Research and Monitoring
The subject of climate predictions in seasonal to inter decadal and century scales comes under
the purview of a vigorously growing science called Climate Research. There is tremendous use
of future climate information in bolstering climatic preparedness especially if it is available early
because many of the corrective actions may require extreme persuasion to be accepted in
society. The modeling efforts that are the basis for such a science need attention in the official
meteorological agency of the country. The XI th plan proposal in this regard focuses on the
computing and data requirements that are required to build a credible climate service facility in
India.
The XI plan proposal is a complete proposal in itself containing the objectives, feasibility and
benefits from each proposal and how they relate to the overall build up of capacity within the
National Meteorological Services of India.
The total allocation sought for the XI Plan is Rs 5055.85 Crores.
1.2.2 National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
(NCMRWF) was created as a mission mode project of the Government in 1988 and continues
to function in the same mode. The mandate of the Centre at the time of establishment was to
provide medium range location specific forecasts to farmers through development of Agro-
Advisory Service for the 127 Agro-climatic zones(ACZ) of the country.
Noting the complex nature of the problem, to provide forecasts beyond a couple of days, An
end-to-end Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) system based on a global Atmospheric
General Circulation Model(AGCM) of horizontal resolution of 150 km and 18 levels in vertical
was implemented and made operational in June 1994. This involved use of voluminous global
meteorological and oceanographic data, their assimilation to provide initial conditions, numerical
models, and high end computing resources. The NWP system generates forecasts up to seven
days in advance. Over a period of time Agromet Advisory Service(AAS) Units were started and
until March 2006, 107 units have been opened. Presently forecasts in respect of meteorological
parameters relevant for planning agricultural operations are provided up to 4 days in advance
twice a week to these units which formulate Agromet Advisories based on these forecasts. Only
20 units remain to be opened for which sites have already been identified and efforts are on to
make them functional. Forecasts over the country up to a week in advance are also being
provided to Crop Weather Watch Group in the Ministry of Agriculture. The project has fulfilled
the given mandate. The other significant achievements during X Plan are summarised
below(details provided in Chapter 7.2 in Volume 3):
• An end-to-end NWP system was developed. Uninterrupted medium range forecasts based
Agromet advisory service is being rendered since 1994.
• Continuous effort to increase reliability and scope of the forecasts was made, increasing
resolution, improving physical processes and data assimilation, optimizing use of satellite and
other data, extensive verification and validation experiments.
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• For improving the location specific Medium Range Forecasts(MRF) Dynamical/statistical
downscaling techniques were implemented. The Meso-scale modelling systems were
implemented on specific demands from Ministry of Defence, Department of Atomic Energy and
ISRO.
• On demand from Agriculture Sector and planners, challenging task of dynamical
extended/seasonal prediction of monsoon was undertaken. As part of this effort, work on ocean
state forecast and development of coupled model was initiated.
• To reduce the uncertainty in prediction and providing MRF in probabilistic terms, an ensemble
prediction system was developed.
• A project to assess economic impact of agro-advisories based on Centre’s MRF was undertaken.
Preliminary results indicate a positive impact of 10-20% by way of saving the inputs and
enhancing the yield levels.
• Crop-weather models for varieties of cops were validated, calibrated and transferred to AAS units
for implementing weather based decision support system for farming operations.
• Customized forecasts for various other important applications( e.g. power distribution, water
resources, defence, emergency response, adventure sports, special events etc.) in different
sectors of economy were delivered to user agencies.
• NCMRWF is hosting a regional Centre for weather and Climate to support technological support
for Economic Advancement in BIMSTEC countries. Forecasts were also provided to some other
countries on their request.
• The high-end computer infrastructure was upgraded. At present the combined resource provides
1.5 TFlop peak performance.
• The construction of one of the buildings of office complex and first phase of residential complex
was completed. The NCMRWF started functioning from its new premise since March 2004.
Monsoon is a very complex, land-ocean atmosphere coupled system. Details of land surface
and oceanic processes have to be included in modelling effort. Further, it is known that for
capturing weather systems over Indian monsoon region and tropics, proper definition of initial
conditions is required for which we need to use direct satellite radiances. To do this, advanced
data assimilation techniques have to be used. So far, very high resolution models, crucial for
increasing the accuracy ,reliability, and range of forecasts, could not be implemented .The
quantity and quality of observations , over land, atmosphere, and surrounding oceans are
required to be significantly enhanced to meet the requirements of high resolution NWP for MRF.
Computing resource, networking, and supporting infrastructure require to be significantly
enhanced at increase frequency to achieve all the above. The fast developments in the field
require more intense human resource development effort and closer international partnerships
with major operational global NWP Centre.
The main goal during the XI plan is to further enhance the accuracy, reliability and range of
medium range weather forecasts and its outreach. In the XI Five Year Plan, NCMRWF is
recasting its mandate towards a Centre of Excellence in Numerical Weather Modeling and it is
proposed to focus on the following thrust areas (details provided in Chapter 8.2 and 9.2 in
Volume 3):
• To increase temporal range and spatial resolution of operational Medium Range Forecasts.
• To deliver district level medium range weather forecasts based agromet advisory services.
• To develop capability for providing site and event specific prediction system. The immediate
demand for such a system is for upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010.
• Further improving the accuracy, reliability, range, and scope of Medium Range Forecasts entails:
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o Development of higher resolution(40 km for operational and 25 km for research; 60 levels)
global model with much improved physics, dynamics. Use of large member based(50-60
members) ensemble system as well as multi-model approach.
o Development of advanced data assimilation system capable of utilizing direct satellite
radiances, clouds and rain data.
o Further improvement in meso-scale models and corresponding assimilation for dynamic
downscaling focussing on high impact weather systems for agricultural risk management
at district level.
• Weather Modeling support for early warning system for weather related disasters.
• Development of a coupled modelling and assimilation system for improving monsoon prediction
over medium and extended scale.
• To significantly enhance manpower, computing, networking, data handling, library, and related
infrastructure including additional building construction.
Presently, NCMRWF continues to function in project mode. For achieving the accelerated
improvement in quality and range of Medium Range Forecasts, it needs to be given a
permanent status as a Centre with full and independent administrative and financial authority.
At present there are 32 scientists, 2 technical support staff, and 7 administrative support
personnel are in place as against the sanctioned strength of 241 a the time of creation of the
centre. This number is one order less than the minimum required for NWP, a highly specialized
and strategically important field. Accordingly, additional consolidated man power of 233 is
projected to meet the requirements of plan projects.
The total financial requirement during the XI plan is Rs. 381.22 crores.
1.2.3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
Since its inception in 1962 as Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ITM) and its subsequent
transformation in an autonomous institution as Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in
1971 the Institute has been functioning as a national centre for basic and applied research in
monsoon meteorology of the tropics in general with special reference to monsoon meteorology
in India and neighbourhood. Its primary functions are to promote, guide and conduct research in
the field of meteorology in all its aspects. The Institute has made significant contribution in the
challenging areas of the Atmospheric Sciences like Weather Forecasting, Climatology,
Hydrometeorology, Monsoon Variability, Climate Modelling, Cloud Physics, Weather
Modification, Atmospheric Chemistry, Atmospheric Electricity, Instrumentation for the
Observational Studies and Studies relating to Land Surface Processes. The Institute has built up
importance and expertise for the study of atmospheric sciences in India and for application of
the knowledge as a national resource in terms of weather, climate and related atmospheric
processes. The IITM provides its input to the India Meteorological Department for the national
forecast of seasonal monsoon rainfall of the country.
The IITM has, from time to time, widened its objectives and scope of research activities
to meet the critical challenges and the national needs for providing information relating to
various aspects of atmosphere and the increasing concern among the Government and general
public about a variety of environmental issues. One important national need is to have reliable
18
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
extended range prediction of the monsoon and to establish India’s stand on a variety of issues
related to global warming and climate change. While recognizing this need, it is also recognized
that basic research is crucial for improving any prediction capability. Keeping this national need
in mind the XI Plan of the Institute while nurturing some of the existing projects on basic
research, a new programme on “Climate Dynamics and Extended Range Prediction of
Monsoon” is proposed. The science plan of the programme and infrastructure and manpower
required for this purpose is as follows:
• A system for long range prediction of seasonal mean monsoon and extended range prediction of
active/break spells is proposed to be developed. It would involve assessing component models,
coupling strategy, assessment of bias of the coupled model, data assimilation, development of
forecast strategy etc. A quantum jump in the computing resource and existing research staff in the
area will be required.
• Estimation of monsoon climate under different climate change scenarios through downscaling using a
regional climate model, quantification of uncertainty in estimation of monsoon climate under climate
change scenarios and study of sensitivity of the estimate of monsoon climate under climate change
due to downscaling of the output from a large number of global models and understanding of roles of
internal variability and external forcing in predicting the future monsoon climate have also been
proposed.
• For improvement of the climate models, it is important to improve formulation of convection in the
GCMs. A focused observational and modeling effort to improve understanding of clouds and its
interaction with environment leading to precipitation is proposed. This would involve simultaneous
observations of cloud processes and environment involving a cloud and weather radar system, GPS
radiosonde, a network of lightning discharge etc.
• A large pool of trained manpower on specialized area is required for success of the above
programmes. A multi pronged approach to build this manpower is proposed. Training programme for
the existing junior level scientists and research fellows at the IITM will produce a pool of scientists to
take up exciting problems and develop necessary skills to address them in the field of atmospheric
sciences especially in climate dynamics and development of capabilities in extended range prediction
of monsoon. Hence Training Programme is proposed as an integral part of the XI Plan programme.
Training to the Institute’s scientists within the Institute and at the selected international centres of
excellence in other countries, as well as inviting a few internationally reputed scientists to impart
training in specialized areas is proposed in this programme. In addition it is proposed to vigorously
and proactively recruit a large pool of experts required for different aspects of the programme.
• Development of infrastructure is essential for promoting the research programmes on a sustained
long-term basis. An appropriate computing system with very high number crunching capability and
having large memory, automatic data storage and retrieval system with sufficient storage capacity is
very much needed at the Institute to carry out the work relating to the climate modelling and extended
range prediction. Upgradation of the existing laboratories, renovation of workplace, modernization of
library, information, publication and other supporting facilities like workshop, and limited Capital Works
programme for construction of residential quarters of higher types and a students hostel are proposed
in the XI Plan programme.
The total allocation sought for the XI Plan is Rs 300 Crores.
19
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
1.3 Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan
(2007-2012)
A. OCEAN DEVELOPMENT
I. CONTINUING SCHEME
Rs. In crores
S.No. Scheme 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010- 2011- Total
11 2012 Budget
Provision
in XI plan
1. Polar Science
1.1 Expeditions to 25.50 28.50 31.00 33.00 36.00 154.00
Antarctica – Polar
Sciences
2. Polymetallic Nodules
Programme
2.1 Survey and 2.00 5.00 5.00 3.00 2.70 17.70
Exploration
2.2 Environmental Impact 4.00 5.00 4.00 5.00 4.59 22.59
Assessment
2.3 Technology 10.00 25.00 10.00 6.00 5.48 56.48
Development
(Extractive
Metallurgy)
2.4 Technology 24 155 149 143 156 627
Development (Mining)
3. Ocean Observation
and Information
System(OOIS)
3.1 PFZ and integrated 8.60 10.10 8.10 7.10 6.10 40.00
PFZ, Tuna
forecast(35 cr.) and
user interactions(5
cr.)
3.2 Operational coastal 4.65 6.70 5.30 4.05 3.90 24.60
ocean wave & current
forecast
4 Marine Research and
Technology
Development
4.1 Assessment of Marine 19.39 29.09 24.25 14.57 9.7 97.00
Living Resources
4.2 Drugs from Sea 10.00 20.00 30.00 30.00 20.00 110.00
4.3 Assistance for 15.40 22.40 29.40 39.40 30.40 137.00
Research Projects
20
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
(OSTC & Manpower
Training)
4.4 Coastal Ocean 15.60 23.40 19.50 11.70 7.80 78.00
Monitoring and
Prediction
system(COMAPS)
4.5 Exhibition, fairs 10.00 30.00 30.00 15.00 15.00 100.00
etc.(Ocean
awareness activities,
Seminars, Symposia,
Conferences,
Lectures, Debates
etc. )
4.6 Integrated Coastal
and Marine Area
Management
4.6.1 Vulnerability to 5.00 10.00 15.00 10.00 10.00 50.00
Shoreline changes,
Waste Assimilation
Capacity & Inundation
Modelling
4.6.2 Ecosystem Modelling 1.00 1.50 1.75 1.75 2.00 8.00
4.6.3 Marine Ecotoxicology 0.60 0.90 0.75 0.45 0.30 3.00
4.6.4 Coastal Risk Atlas 0.40 0.40 0.20 0 0 1.00
4.7 Marine Non-Living
Resources
(MNLR)
4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt 4.00 8.00 20.00 9.00 9.00 50.00
Crust Exploration
4.7.2 Geological Studies of 2.00 9.50 9.50 4.50 4.50 30.00
Indian Ocean Basin
4.7.3 Hydrothermal Sulfides 1.00 4.50 2.50 1.00 1.00 10.00
5.0 Information 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 20.00
Technology
6.0 Coastal Research 51.05 11.44 12.16 62.70 63.61 200.96
Vessels(CRV) & other
Research vessels
7.0 National Institute of
Ocean Technology
(NIOT)
7.1 Energy/Desalination 2.00 4.00 5.00 3.00 1.89 15.89
7.2 Deep Seabed Mining 22.00 26.00 28.00 26.00 23.00 125.00
7.3 Coastal & 40.0 60.0 60.0 40.0 25.0 225.00
Environmental Engg.
7.4 Marine 35.01 33.77 35.36 16.04 16.05 136.23
Instrumentation,
sensors, acoustics
7.5 Island Development 24.40 39.20 45.00 29.30 24.10 162.00
7.6 Argo * 0 0 0 0 0 0
21
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
7.7 Gas Hydrates* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.8 NDBP* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.9 Offshore operations* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.10 Offshore structures* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.11 VMC* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.12 Capacity Building, 29.00 32.00 47.40 65.0 93.11 266.51
infrastructure etc
8 Delineation of Outer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 6.00
limits of Continental
Shelf
9 Comprehensive 5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 7.00 48.00
Topographic Surveys
10 Gas Hydrate 56.84 98.93 106.61 127.44 234.64 624.46
11 Acquisition of 110.00 15.00 0 0 0 125.00
Research Vessel
12 Data Buoy 66.85 86.05 106.00 65.95 42.24 367.09
programme/Integrated
Sustained Ocean
Observations
13 Tsunami & Storm 41.18 20.00 20.00 25.00 20.00 126.18
surges Warning
System
14 National Centre for
Antarctic and Ocean
Research(NCAOR)
14.1 Establishment of New 24.90 19.30 10.80 9.30 9.70 74.00
Permanent Indian
Base in Antarctica
14.2 Southern Ocean 7.50 5.50 10.00 7.50 11.50 42.00
Studies
14.3 In house R&D, 29.20 44.73 43.46 23.84 25.77 167.00
infrastructure,
capacity building at
NCAOR
15 Indian National
Centre for Ocean
Information Services
(INCOIS)
15.1 Information Bank and 1.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 10.00
Web-bases services
15.2 Ocean Science and
techniques
Development
15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and 7.30 5.90 5.70 5.85 5.25 30.00
data assimilation
15.2.2 Satellite 5.00 6.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 30.00
Oceanography
15.3 Ocean Observations 25.50 17.00 15.50 14.25 12.75 85.00
22
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
15.4 R&D in Ocean 13.00 18.00 16.00 16.00 12.00 75.00
Science and
Informations
16 Seafront facility 25.745 64.045 42.29 37.92 30.00 200.00
Total 790.615 1021.855 1031.53 938.61 995.08 4777.69
* indicates that while NIOT will be implementing agency the budget provision has been
made in the Ministry’s programmes
2. NEW SCHEMES PROPOSED DURING XI PLAN
Rs. In crores
S.No. Scheme 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
2012 Budget
Provision
in XI plan
1. Expedition to 5.00 5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 46.00
Arctic
2. Desalination 7.00 140.00 43.00 8.00 6.65 204.65
Project
3. MLR: vessel 34.70 77.05 85.88 53.52 22.35 273.50
requirement(Rs.
250 cr) and
Dedicated
berthing and
associated
facilities (Rs.
23.50 cr)
4. National 10.00 40.00 40.00 5.00 5.00 100.00
Oceanarium
5. Demonstration of 54.00 81.00 67.50 40.50 27.00 270.00
Shore Protection
measures through
Pilot project
6. Integrated Ocean 5.00 18.00 20.00 25.00 32.00 100.00
Drilling
Programme(IODP)
7. Ice class 40.00 150.00 225.00 30.00 5.00 450.00
Research vessel
8. Headquarter 25.00 20.00 2.50 1.50 1.00 50.00
Building
Total 180.70 531.05 495.88 175.52 111.00 1494.15
23
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
B. ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan
(2007-2012)
I. CONTINUING SCHEME
A. IMD
Rs. In crores
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12
1. Space Meteorology 30.84 33.24 32.50 12.00 18.00 126.58
2. Meteorological
Telecommunication 46.10 33.40 19.15 3.73 1.21 103.59
3. Observational 101.22 130.80 136.80 129.60 66.00
Organization 564.42
4. Instrumentation 41.10 93.03 84.80 25.16 22.88
Development 266.97
5. Cyclone Warning & 42.40 147.66 205.62 243.88 476.40
Research 1115.96
6. Forecasting 65.00 25.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
Services 105.00
7. Aviation Services 92.80 115.80 172.20 255.80 301.00
937.60
8. Hydro Met Services 10.36 16.88 9.89 1.81 1.55
40.49
9. Agro Met Services 141.40 144.92 148.54 152.15 10.58
597.59
10. Seismology 17.46 26.86 16.78 18.15 8.98 88.23
11. Seismic Hazard & 55.62 57.30 53.10 61.14 71.22
Risk Evaluation 298.38
12. Environmental 6.00 4.20 3.60 3.60 4.80
Studies 22.20
13. Research 6.94 3.10 2.21 2.21 2.21 16.67
14. Human Resource 8.04 9.84 8.04 6.24 5.04
Development 37.20
15. National / 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40
International
Cooperation 2.00
16. Infrastructural 74.72 109.98 107.93 102.74 28.72
Development and
maintenance 424.09
Sub-Total I-A 740.40 952.41 1006.56 1023.61 1023.99 4746.97
24
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
B. NCMRWF
Rs. In crores
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
08 09 12
1 Global Modeling 1.38 2.02 2.81 2.91 2.69 11.81
and Data
Assimilation System
2 Meso-scale 0.50 0.82 1.10 1.26 1.26
Modeling and Data 4.94
Assimilation System
3 Extended/Seasonal 0.27 0.58 0.70 0.67 0.52
Prediction System 2.74
4 Computer/Network 0.50 0.74 1.02 1.10 1.10
Infrastructure and 4.46
Services
5. Agromet advisory
5.1 Agro-met Advisory 1.08 1.23 1.76 1.77 1.62 7.46
System
5.2 District-level Agro- 0.54 0.82 0.98 0.98 0.68 4.00
meteorological
Advisory Service
5.3 Grant-in-Aid for 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 63.50
AMFUs
Sub-Total I-B 16.97 18.91 21.07 21.39 20.57 98.91
C. IITM
Continuing Schemes : Research in Tropical Meteorology
1 Asian Monsoon
06.00 03.00 03.00 02.00 02.00 17.00
Variability and
Predictability
2 Application of
06.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Satellite Data in
Weather Fore-
casting and Large-
Scale Hydrological
Modelling
3 Short-Term Climate
06.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Diagnostics and
Prediction
4 Cloud Modelling
05.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 21.00
5 Middle Atmosphere
05.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 21.00
Dynamics
6 Aerosol and Climate
05.00 04.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Studies
Sub-Total I-C 33.00 21.00 20.00 19.00 20.00 113.00
25
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
2. NEW SCHEMES PROPOSED DURING XI PLAN
A. IMD
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009-10 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 11 12
1 District 19.20 55.20 30.00 40.80 58.80 204.00
Meteorological
Information Centres
2 Early Warning 2.95 21.66 23.19 23.16 13.04 84.00
System
3 Climate Research & 2.64 12.78 1.68 1.86 1.92 20.88
Monitoring
Sub Total 2-A 24.79 89.64 54.87 65.82 73.76 308.88
B. NCMRWF
1 Satellite Radiance 0.27 0.58 0.74 0.67 0.75 3.01
Data Assimilation
2 Climate Modeling 0.69 0.59 0.86 0.56 0.56 3.26
System
3 Environmental 0.23 0.31 0.20 0.20 0.20 1.14
Prediction System
4 Computer/Network 80.00 20.00 15.00 65.00 8.00 188.00
Infrastructure
Upgradation
5 Infrastructure 35.60 19.60 18.60 6.60 6.50 86.90
Development Other
Facilities and
capacity building
Sub Total 2-B 116.79 41.08 35.4 73.03 16.01 282.31
C. IITM
New Scheme : Climate Dynamics and Extended Range Prediction of Monsoon
1 Dynamical 3.00 05.00 04.00 03.50 02.00 17.50
Prediction System
of Seasonal Mean
Monsoon Rainfall
2 Extended- Range 1.50 01.00 02.50 02.50 03.00 10.50
Prediction of Active
and Break Spells of
the Monsoon
3 Science of Climate 01.30 02.00 01.00 00.90 00.50 05.70
26
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
Change and
Monsoon
4 Urban Air pollution 02.00 02.00 00.50 00.50 00.50 05.50
and Transport
Modelling
5 High Performance 40.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 60.00
Computer
6 Observation 48.00 01.00 01.70 01.00 01.10 52.80
Programmes for
Studies of
Interaction between
Clouds and their
Environment
including acquisition
of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning
Network
• Atmospheric
Pollution
Prediction
System
• GPS Radiosonde
7 Training 9.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 25.00
Programme
8 Information System 3.00 2.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 10.00
in Meteorology and
Atmospheric
Sciences
Sub-Total 2 -C 107.80 22.50 20.20 18.90 17.60 187.00
27
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
1.4 Yearwise Summary of Financial Requirement
Scheme 2007-08 2008-09 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
10 11 12
OCEAN Continuing 790.615 1021.855 1031.53 938.61 995.08 4777.69
DEVELOPMENT
New 180.70 531.05 495.88 175.52 111.00 1494.15
Total (Ocean Development) 971.315 1552.905 1527.41 1114.13 1106.08 6271.84
Atmospheric Continuing
Sciences-IMD 740.40 952.41 1006.56 1023.61 1023.99 4746.97
New 24.79 89.64 54.87 65.82 73.76 308.88
Total
(IMD) 765.19 1042.05 1061.43 1089.43 1097.75 5055.85
Atmospheric Continuing 16.97 18.91 21.07 21.39 20.57 98.91
Sciences-
NCMRWF
New 116.79 41.08 35.4 73.03 16.01 282.31
Total 133.76 59.99 56.47 94.42 36.58 381.22
(NCMRWF)
Atmospheric Continuing 33.00 21.00 20.00 19.00 20.00 113.00
Sciences-IITM
New 107.80 22.50 20.20 18.90 17.60 187.00
Total 140.80 43.50 40.20 37.90 37.60 300.00
(IITM)
Total (Ocean Development) 971.315 1552.905 1527.41 1114.13 1106.08 6271.84
Total (Atmospheric 1039.75 1145.54 1158.1 1221.75 1171.93 5737.07
Sciences)
Grand Total 2011.065 2698.445 2685.51 2335.88 2278.01 12008.91
(Ocean Development+
Atmospheric Sciences)
28
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
1.5 List of Members of the Expert Group
1. Dr. P.S. Goel, Secretary,
Ministry of Earth Sciences, CGO Complex, New Delhi-110003
2. Prof. U.R. RAO, 3367-E, 13TH Main, HAL II Stage, Indira Nagar,
Bangalore-560038.
3. Dr. Harsh K. Gupta, Ex-Secretary, DOD, N.1/A,
Manjusha, Kakatiya Nagar, Hashiguda, Hyderabad-500007.
4 Secretary , Deptt. Of Science & Technology, Technology Bhavan,
New Mehaurali Road, New Delhi-16.
5 Prof. B.L. Delkshatulu, Ex-Director NRSA, 10-3-123/3/1, Up stairs,
East Marredpally, Secunderabad-500026.
6. Prof. M. Ravindran, Ex-Director, NIOT, "Vigna Raja," 17 C, Pondicherry Road,
Kottur, Chennai-600085.
7 Dr. D.R. Sikka, Ex-Director IITM, 40, Mausam Vihar, Delhi-110051.
8. Prof. V.S. Raju, Ex.Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Plot No. 74-A, Road No.9, Jubilee hills,Hyderabad-500033
9. Dr. S.A.H. Abidi, C-M-11/B, sector-B, Aliganj,
Lucknow-226020, U.P.
10. Prof. B.N. GOSWAMI, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012.
11. Dr. M.S. Nagar, Ex.CMD, IREL, F/519, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-110044.
12. Dr. Satish R. Shetye, Director, National Institute of Oceanography,
Dona Paula, Goa-403004
13. Dr. V.S. Somvanshi, Director General, Fishery Survey of India,
Botawala Chambars, Sir PM Road, Fort, Mumbai-400001.
14 Dr. V. Chander, Director, Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory
Kochi-682021
15. Dr. V. Rajagopalan, Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board
Parivesh Bhavan,CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar,
Delhi-110092.
29
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Working Group Document
16. Prof. G.S. Roonwal, C-520, SFS Flats, Phase-I
Sheikh Sarai, New Delhi-110017.
17. Dr. C.M. Gupta, Director, Central Drug Research Institute,
Chattar Manzil PAlace, Post Box No.173, Lucknow-226001.
18. Sh. S.K. Das, Adviser, Ministry of Earth Sciences,
Block 12, CGO Complex, Lodhi road, New Delhi-3.
19. Dr. V.L. Chopra, Member, (S & T and Agriculture), Planning commission,
Yojana Bhavan, New Delhi-110001.
20. Dr. P. K. Biswas, Advisor (S & T), Planning Commission,
Room No. 213, Yojana Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi.
30
ELEVENTH PLAN
2007-2012
WORKING GROUP DOCUMENT
VOLUME 2
(OCEAN DEVELOPMENT)
Government of India
Ministry of Earth Sciences
2006
VOLUME 1
S.No INDEX Page
No.
PREFACE 1
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
1.1 Ocean Development 4
1.2 Atmospheric Sciences 11
1.3 Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan (2007-2012) 20
A OCEAN DEVELOPMENT 20
B ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 24
1.4 Yearwise Summary of Financial Requirement 28
1.5 List of Members of the Expert Group 29
VOLUME 2
(OCEAN DEVELOPMENT)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
2.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 31
3.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 43
3.1 Polar Science 43
3.1.1 Polar Science & Antarctic Expedition 43
3.2 Polymetallic Nodules Programme 46
3.2.1 Survey and Exploration 46
3.2.2 Environmental Impact Assessment 47
3.2.3 Technology Development (Extractive Metallurgy) 47
3.2.4 Technology Development (Mining) 49
3.3 Ocean Observation and Information System(OOIS) 51
3.3.1 Ocean Advisory and Information Services 51
3.3.1.1 Potential Fishing Zones Advisories 51
3.3.1.2 Operational coastal ocean wave & current forecast 53
3.4 Marine Research and Technology Development 53
3.4.1 Assessment of Marine Living Resources 53
3.4.2 Drugs from Sea 60
3.4.3 Assistance for Research Projects (OSTC & Manpower Training) 61
3.4.4 Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction system(COMAPS) 66
3.4.5 Exhibition, fairs etc.(Ocean awareness activities, Seminars, Symposia, 66
Conferences, Lectures, Debates etc. )
3.4.6 Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management 71
3.4.6.1 Assessment of vulnerability due to shoreline changes 72
3.4.6.2 Determination of Waste Assimilation Capacity of coastal waters 72
3.4.6.3 Storm Surge Inundation Modelling 73
3.4.6.4 Ecosystem Modelling 73
3.4.6.5 Marine Ecotoxicology 73
3.4.6.6 Web GIS Based Coastal Risk Atlas 74
3.4.7 Marine Non-Living Resources(MNLR) 76
3.4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt Crust Exploration 76
3.4.7.2 Geological Studies of Indian Ocean Basin 78
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
3.4.7.3 Studies of Hydrothermal Sulfides 81
3.5 Information Technology 82
3.6 Coastal Research Vessels(CRV) & other Research vessels 82
3.7 National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) 82
3.7.1 Energy and Fresh Water from Sea 83
3.7.2 Deep Seabed Mining 84
3.7.3 Coastal & Environmental Engg. 85
3.7.4 Marine Instrumentation, sensors, acoustics 86
3.7.5 Island Development 88
3.7.6 ARGO Floats 94
3.7.7 Gas Hydrates 95
3.7.8 National Data Buoy Programme (NDBP) 96
3.7.9 Offshore operations 97
3.7.10 Offshore structures 97
3.7.11 Vessel Management Cell (VMC) 98
3.7.12 Capacity Building, Infrastructure, operations etc 99
3.8 Delineation of Outer limits of Continental Shelf 100
3.9 Comprehensive Topographic Surveys 101
3.10 Studies on Gas Hydrates Exploration & Technology Development 102
for Its Assessment.
3.11 Acquisition of New Research Vessel 106
3.12 Data Buoy programme/Integrated Sustained Ocean Observations 107
3.13 Tsunami & Storm surges Warning System 109
3.14 National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research(NCAOR) 110
3.14.1 Establishment of New Permanent Indian Base in Antarctica 110
3.14.2 Southern Ocean Studies 111
3.14.3 In house R&D, infrastructure, capacity building at NCAOR 112
3.15 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) 114
3.15.1 Information Bank and Web-bases services 114
3.15.2 Ocean Science and techniques Development 116
3.15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and data assimilation 116
3.15.2.2 Satellite Oceanography 117
3.15.3 Ocean Observations 118
3.15.4 R&D, Infrastructure and Capacity Building 120
3.16 Seafront facility 121
4.0 NEW SCHEMES 123
4.1 Expedition to the Arctic 123
4.2 Desalination Project 124
4.3 MLR: sea front facility (Rs. 23.50 cr) and vessel requirement(Rs. 250 124
cr)
4.4 National Oceanarium 125
4.5 Demonstration of Shore Protection measures through Pilot project 126
4.6 Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme 127
4.7 Ice class Research vessel 129
4.8 Infrastructure 130
5.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT 131
6.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 134
ii
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
VOLUME 3
(ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
7.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 139
7.1 IMD 139
7.2 NCMRWF 147
7.3 IITM 150
8.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 156
8.1 India Meteorological Department(IMD) 156
8.1.1 Space Meteorology 160
8.1.2 Meteorological Telecommunication 161
8.1.3 Observational System 162
8.1.4 Instrumentation Development 163
8.1.5 Cyclone Warning & Research 163
8.1.6 Forecasting Services 164
8.1.7 Aviation Services 165
8.1.8 Hydro Met Services 165
8.1.9 Agro Met Services 166
8.1.10 Seismology 166
8.1.11 Seismic Hazard & Risk Evaluation 168
8.1.12 Environmental Studies 168
8.1.13 Research 169
8.1.14 Human Resource Development 170
8.1.15 National / International Cooperation 170
8.1.16 Infrastructural Development and maintenance 171
8.2 National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting 171
(NCMRWF)
8.2.1 Global Modeling and Data Assimilation System 172
8.2.2 Mesoscale Prediction System 175
8.2.3 Extended Range /Seasonal Prediction System 176
8.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure and Services 177
8.2.5 Agromet Advisory 178
8.3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) 182
8.3.1 Asian Monsoon Variability and Predictability 182
8.3.2 Application of Satellite Data in Weather Fore-casting and Large-Scale 183
Hydrological Modelling
8.3.3 Short-Term Climate Diagnostics and Prediction 184
8.3.4 Cloud Modelling 184
8.3.5 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics 184
8.3.6 Aerosol and Climate Studies 185
9.0 NEW SCHEMES 187
9.1 IMD 187
9.1.1 District Meteorological Information Centres 187
9.1.2 Early Warning System 187
9.1.3 Climate Research & Monitoring 188
9.2 NCMRWF 189
9.2.1 Satellite Radiance Data Assimilation System 189
9.2.2 Climate Modeling System 190
9.2.3 Environmental Prediction System 191
9.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure Upgradation 192
9.2.5 Infrastructure Development and other facilities 192
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9.3 IITM 194
9.3.1 Dynamical Prediction System of Seasonal Mean Monsoon Rainfall 195
9.3.2 Extended- Range Prediction of Active and Break Spells of the Monsoon 196
9.3.3 Science of Climate Change and Monsoon 196
9.3.4 Urban Air pollution and Transport Modelling 197
9.3.5 High Performance Computer 197
9.3.6 Observation Programmes for Studies of Interaction between Clouds 198
and their Environment including acquisition of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning Network
• Atmospheric Pollution Prediction System
• GPS Radiosonde
9.3.7 Training Programme 200
9.3.8 Information System in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences 201
10.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT) 202
11.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 204
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2. Achievements during X Plan (2002-07)
2.1. Polar Science & Antarctic Expedition:
The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, responsible for
plan, execute and launch of annual expeditions to Antarctica on behalf of MOOD, have
successfully launched 5 scientific expeditions (XXI – XXV) to the Antarctica, which are
multi-disciplinary in nature covering atmospheric science, geology, geophysics and
others as in the past.
A survey by National Council for Applied and Economic Research (NCAER) was
carried out to assess the Polar Science Activities as per the directive of Cabinet
Committee for Economic Affairs (CCEA).
In particular, the following scientific and logistics tasks related to the Indian
Antarctic Programme as envisioned by the Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry
were undertaken during the X plan period:
(a) 2 Pilot expeditions to the southern Indian Ocean were launched to study Polar
Environment and Ecology significant for global processes to contribute to international
scientific endeavors for a sustainable management of Antarctica.
(b) Under Development of National Antarctic Data Centre, the data generated through the
last 25 odd expeditions were collated, formatted and synthesized for easy accessibility
and utilisation by establishing the National Antarctic Data Centre (NADC) at NCAOR.
(c) New programmes on biotechnological potential of Antarctica microbes and
biodegradation of organic wastes by employing psychrophilic bacteria were taken up.
(d) Overall 20 out of 100 microbes discovered world over were identified by India.. Activities
pertaining to establishment of the Second Indian Permanent Station in Antarctica as well
as construction of a new station were taken up.
(e) An ice-core laboratory with state-of-the-art ice core archival and analytical facilities was
established at NCAOR to conduct paleo oceanographic studies.
(f) The building infrastructure was expanded to meet increased activities including surveys
to explore the possibility of establishing a new station.
Some of the other important achievements include, development of core-competence
and initiation of research programs at NCAOR in the fields of Polar Remote Sensing,
Southern Ocean Oceanography & Paleoclimatology, Antarctic Global Change Research,
Antarctic Atmospheric Sciences, and Polar Environment & Ecology and initiation of
studies on the biodegradation studies of organic waste using microbial consortium from
Antarctica, and on the biotechnological potential of Antarctic microbes. Further, new
experiments in frontier areas, including Total Solar Eclipse studies were undertaken at
Antarctica. The major scientific investigations undertaken include:
(a) Ice core drilling in the Central Dronning Maud Land (CDML) area for paleoclimatic and
paleoenvironment studies.
(b) Publication of two geological maps encompassing part of the mapped areas of CDML.
(c) Absolute Gravity measurements initiated in the Schirmacher Oasis area.
(d) GPS observations for assessing the inter-plate movement between India and Antarctica
(e) Setting up of a 3-station magnetometer chain for geomagnetic studies.
(f) Evaluation of the bedrock topography of different Antarctic lakes using GPR.
(g) Daytime auroral studies using an indigenously fabricated day glow photometer.
(h) Continuous and periodic ozone profiling by mm wave radio-spectrometer and
ozonesonde ascents and Brewer Spectrophotometer.
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(i) Surface measurements of the atmospheric electric field, conductivity, and the
concentration and size distribution of submicron aerosols.
(j) Studies on the effect of certain established Ayurvedic drugs (rasayana) as food
supplements in cold climatic conditions.
(k) A consortium of the psychrophilic bacteria successfully evaluated for their ability to
biodegrade human refuse.
(l) Observations of unique extended duration shadow band activity during the Total Solar
Eclipse (TSE) of November 23, 2003.
(m) Upgradation of communication links with the mainland by uplinking Maitri with e-mail,
real-time picture transmission, and computer-interfaced HF communication.
2.2. Polymetallic Nodules Programme (PMN):
2.2.1 Survey & Exploration
India retained 50% of the allocated 1,50,000 sq. km area to the International Sea Bed
Authority upon carrying out detailed surveys as per the requirement of contract signed
with International Seabed Authority. Close grid surveys of 6.25 km were carried out
using Multiple Frequency Exploration System (MFES) along selected profiles covering
pre-identified blocks, deep tow survey for continuous photography at selected profiles
based on MFES survey and up gradation of deep tow system with side scan sonar. The
Final Relinquishment of 20% of Allocated Area was completed in the prime nodule area
of the CIOB. An area having consistently high abundances and grades measuring
about 17,500 km2 and which was sufficiently plain in topography, was identified within
the Retained Area. This would be investigated in detail using the following pathways for
the identification of the 1st Generation Mine Site.
(a) A total of 143 samples were retrieved during one of the 3 cruises although close to
75 Okean grab sampling operations were performed covering 21 blocks during this
exercise.
(b) The highest nodule abundance recorded in the operations is 43.6 kg/m2 at one
location. Nodules from all the stations occupied were mandatorily analysed for the five
critical elements viz., Ni, Co, Cu, Mn and Fe. The overall tonnage of nodules gathered
from the abundance data shows a minor reduction so does the average abundance in
this region.
(c) Resource evaluation after both the activities would take up at least 6-9 months (i.e.,
sample identification, sample preparation, analysis, interpretation, integration with the
existing data). Slow scan multibeam and backscatter studies and detailed resource
evaluation of nodules in the retained area would be continued during the XI plan.
(d) The area selected for the possible location of the 1st generation mine site (17,500
km2) would be mapped using a multibeam system. The micro-topographic features
would be revealed during these multibeam surveys at resolutions higher than achieved
before.
(e) One cruise using Akademik Boris Petrov was undertaken in May/June,2005 (ABP
Cruise 6) wherein approximately 70 % of the delineated area has been mapped using a
multibeam system. Further, backscatter data has also been obtained for the area
surveyed. The samples from throughout the pioneer area have been isolated,
described, and the complex procedure of sample preparation is ongoing and it is
expected that the results would be delivered as anticipated by the end of the X Plan.
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2.2.2 EIA Study
As a part of Environmental Impact Assessment-Monitoring studies, core samples were
collected during all monitoring cruises to study recolonisation aspects. Results of the 4
monitoring cruises during the plan have indicated that whereas the some of the sediment
characteristics appear to have regained the conditions similar to that of pre-disturbance
stage, the numbers and diversity of benthic organisms showed only marginal restoration.
The above parameters indicate that the benthic conditions are steadily moving towards
restoration and the effect of disturbance is waning off. Ongoing analysis of
environmental parameters would help in establishing the long term restoration processes
in the benthic ecosystem. In addition, under environmental impact assessment studies,
(a) sediment plume disbursal studies were carried out for monitoring of
recolonisation and restoration of environment in the area.
(b) detailed data on various environmental parameters was collected in the proposed
first generation mine site during a cruise in March-April 2005 and these data are
being processed at present. It will serve the purpose of application to the Int.
Seabed Authority for mining claim.
(c) In order to predict the dispersion of sediment plume in the water column under
different conditions, modeling studies were initiated from 2003-2006. The work
carried out under the sediment plume modeling has been Dimensional
hydrodynamic model and sediment transport model has been developed and
integrated with the graphical user interface. Initial runs of the model have been
carried out for testing the model setup using constant current flux along the open
boundaries.
The environmental database generated during the project was compiled in standard
formats specially developed for the purpose. This data can be used in future inputs for
design of mining system, planning of pilot mining operations, selection of potential sites
for test mining and for submission to International Seabed Authority, which is an
requirement on the part of the contractor for filing an application for seabed mining. The
samples chosen for the present study are from twenty-four cruises carried out using five
research vessels, namely M.V. Skandi Surveyor, ORV Sagar Kanya, M.V. Farnella,
R.V. Akademik Boris Petrov and R.V. Akademik Alexander Sidorenko
The morphological analysis of all the 305 stations is completed. The chemical analysis
for the total metal content (for regular grade calculation) was carried out for the Boris
Petrov (01 & 02) and Sidorenko (40 & 62) cruises, which included 146 stations. Most of
the stations among these four cruises are from the area earmarked for demarcation of
first generation mine site.
Report comprising resource evaluation of additional elements and the elemental
associations have been prepared which can be important while evolving mining
strategies and metallurgical extractions.
During the X Plan 36 publications in reputed scientific journals have been produced by
the scientists in the project with a total impact factor of 43.475 with a paper/impact factor
ratio of 1.2.
Phase III assessment of the project was taken up to monitor the impact of mining on the
surrounding areas and to assess the vertical and lateral migration of the plume in the
water column, as well as to evaluate the time taken for restoration of benthic
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environment, in the test area with respect to reference site. Since its inception, under
Environmental Impact Assessment component, 3 of the activities (viz. environment of
baseline condition, assessment of benthic impact, and monitoring of restoration) have
been completed successfully. Currently, the ongoing activities are collection of
environmental data for environmental variability in and around the proposed first
generation mine-site, modeling of sediment plume dispersal and creation of database for
deep-sea mining.
2.2.3 Technology Development (Extractive Metallurgy)
A semi-continuous pilot plant to process 500 kg of poly-metallic nodules per day
for demonstrating the technology for extraction of metals Cu, Ni and Co was
commissioned at HZL, Udaipur. Campaigns were conducted for metal extraction
requiring about 100 tonnes at Hindustan Zinc Limited (Udaipur) for a total period of 200
days operation after commissioning. Thereafter, campaigns were undertaken to
improvise the process based on recent technological development and to reduce
number of stages and improve recovery of metals.
Once the process economics for establishing a commercial polymetallic nodule
plant is established, it would be necessary to scale up selective process steps for
eventual implementation.
The ferrosillicomanganese pilot plant was also commissioned at NML,
Jamshedpur successfully to utilize the residues from the HZL pilot plant.
2.2.4 Technology Development (Mining)
Mining & Allied Technology Development work on development of technologies for
under water mining were taken up viz., (a) in-situ measurement of soil properties at
Indian Nodule Mining Site at 6000m water depth, (b) development of the underwater
vehicle for dredging and shallow water mining applications, (c) development of
components/studies for deep sea technology systems, (d) remotely operable vehicle
(underwater submersible), (e) autonomous underwater vehicle, (f) development of
underwater systems for collection and crushing manganese nodules, and (g)
development of integrated deep sea mining system for mining nodules from 6000 m
depth which are at various stages of development. The shallow bed mining test of
indigenously developed crawler was carried out successfully for second time. The
Remotely Operated Submersible capable of operating in the water depth of 6000 m has
been designed and is in the advanced stage of integration.
2.3. Ocean Observation and Information Services:
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) established in IX
Plan was strengthened by development and commissioning of a new permanent campus
for INCOIS with necessary infrastructure facilities. To improve the delivery of ocean
information data products such as dissemination of PFZ information three times a week,
a variety of media viz., digital display boards, email, Fax, Telephone, TV, Satellite Radio
were used in major regional languages including periodical user interaction workshops.
INCOIS has generated and disseminated data and data products to user community like
fisheries, weather, climate, ports, shipping, etc. The fishermen community found the
advisories extremely useful in terms of significant reduction in search time and savings
in diesel cost. A dynamic website and ocean portal was commissioned at INCOIS for
Ocean Data Mining and Warehousing. A set of 10 information kiosks one each in the
coastal states of India was installed in fishing harbours for dissemination of PFZ
information. The ocean State Forecast Services on experimental basis was launched
for safe operation and travel at sea. The data products available on INCOIS website
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from the Ocean State Forecast are waves, swells, mixed layer depth, tidal currents
etc.India has established a regional alliance for the Indian Ocean on Global Ocean
Observation System (IO-GOOS) at INCOIS, Hyderabad with 21 organizations from 12
countries.. Construction of new campus for INCOIS has been completed and started
functioning of certain activities in the new building.
Under Ocean Observing Systems, moored buoy deployment, Argo profiling floats,
drifting buoys, XBTs, and their maintenance that entails collection of time series
observation of oceanographic and meteorological parameters over Indian Seas which
are necessary to improve oceanographic services and predictive capability of short term
and long term climatic variability as well to increase the understanding on ocean
dynamics.
As a part of validation of satellite products, for the first time, a set of 3 current meter
arrays were deployed in the equatorial Indian Ocean at 76, 83 & 93 degrees for
obtaining the variability of deep sea currents. Continued XBT surveys were conducted
in 3 sectors viz., Calcutta to Port Blair and Chennai to Singapore and Cochin to
Lakshadweep. Besides, over 50 drifting buoys have also been deployed in the Indian
Ocean for understanding the surface circulation.
INCOIS has been recognized for coordination of the International Argo programme for
the Indian Ocean Region. INCOIS has also set up a satellite data reception facility for
saving online data from the Indian and International satellite including the data from the
Argo floats deployed in the Indian Ocean. By virtue of India’s participation in the
International Argo programme data acquired from over 600 Argo floats deployed by
various countries including India have also been acquired by INCOIS. A set of 12 data
products is being made available through INCOIS website for wider accessability and
utility of the data. INCOIS has also made operational Ocean State Forecast on
experimental basis through website. The parameters currently available include waves,
swell, mixed layer depth, tidal currents ete., are being made available for 4 day forecast.
The programme on satellite oceanography envisages development of algorithms,
models and related capability for operational retrieval of parameters from Ocean Remote
Sensing Satellites. As a logical sequel to the SATCORE Project, it is essential to pursue
this activity in the context of newly planned Indian satellite Missions such as Megha
Tropiques, Oceansat-II, Radar Imaging Satellite, etc. that are critical for the operational
and research applications in the coming years.
Consolidation of the efforts that are underway under the Indian Ocean Modelling and
Dynamics (INDOMOD) for operational applications would be one of the priority areas for
the early part of the X Plan. A network of 10 institutions is being involved in this
programme to develop wide range of models for operational weather forecast and
climate including the prediction of Indian Monsoon. The major modules were Ocean and
Climate, Coastal Ocean, Hazardous Weather Events, Ocean Data Assimilation and
Information Bank ant Obseravation for validation of models. The institutions associated
with this programme each having a specific responsibility, are IISC-Bangalore, IIT-Delhi,
CMMACS-Bangalore, IITM-Pune, NIO-Goa, NPOL-Kochi, NRSA-Hyderabad, SAC-
Ahmedabad, NCMRWF, and SOI-Dehradun. During the X Plan, a new phase of
modeling efforts was initiated under this project, focusing towards the end goal of
achieving ocean predictability and enabling climate predictability in a mission mode with
concomitant efforts in numerical modeling, data assimilation and validation. The projects
under this programme, would contribute specially pertaining to validation of ocean-
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atmospheric modeling in 5 modules viz., Ocean/climate, Coastal Ocean, Hazardous
weather events, Data assimilation models, Validation of models. A significant progress
has been achieved particularly with respect to scientific aspects of mathematical
modeling towards understanding the ocean atmospheric interactions leading to
accomplishment of primary goal of Ocean State Forecast for the seas around India.
Web-based services in near real time were provided to the scientific community and
operational agencies. Initiation of value added services to the Industry and other user
community in the ocean sector. Implementation of web GIS for Data Mining and
warehousing. A regional alliance in the Indian Ocean for Global Ocean Observing
System (IO-GOOS) was established to address the issues of common interests of these
countries. Currently there are 22 members representing 12 countries of this region. The
Secretariat, IOGOOS is located in INCOIS, Hyderabad.
2.4. Marine Research & Technology Development
2.4.1 Assessment of Marine Living Resources and FORV
Survey of fishery resources viz Environment and Productivity Studies, Assessment of
deep sea fishery resources of the continental slope, Toxic algal blooms, Benthic
productivity studies, Studies on deep scattering layer, Development of acoustic
techniques for fish and DSL biomass estimation, Development of predictive models and
CMLRE Data and Referral Centre were undertaken.
Further studies were undertaken on Southern Ocean Living Resources through survey
and assessment of krill and tooth fish in the Indian Ocean section of the Antarctic
waters.
2.4.2. Drugs from Sea
Under this multiinstitutional programme, rodent toxicity testing and clinical trial of three
lead compounds were completed and identification of nine other promising leads
were taken up for further studies and initiation of toxicity tests etc towards drug
development . Clinical trials of anti-diabetic compounds and toxicological test for
antihyperdemic have been initiated after obtaining clearances. Drug development of 2
compounds (anti-diabetic and anti-hyper lypidemic) is in advanced stage and the
necessary clinical trials are expected to be completed by X Plan.
2.4.3. Marine Research and Capacity Building:
Towards strengthening of marine scientific research in the universities, financial support
was extended to 80 ongoing projects and 7 new projects for conducting basic research
under 9 Ocean Science and Technology Cells (OSTCs).The programme to foster the
concept of stewardship through education, training and human resource development
and increasing awareness at all levels. Activities proposed include promotion of research
through OSTCs under the basic categories of Marine Ecology, Marine Biology, Marine
Microbiology, Marine Benthos, Coastal Marine Culture Systems, Marine
Geology/Geophysics, Marine Placer Deposits, and Ocean Engineering & Underwater
Robotics. Under Manpower Development, continued support to the ongoing programme
of award of research fellowships to students for pursuing higher studies in
academic/educational institutions both covered by the OSTC system and outside it, in
various disciplines of ocean science and technology. One OSTC located at Annamalai
University has been upgraded to centre of Excellence.
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2.4.4. Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS)
The COMAPS programme, to monitor the health of coastal waters, which is being
implemented since the 7th Plan period, were continued during the X Plan period at
locations identified for annual monitoring along with stipulated parameters and locations
identified for studying the diffusion and dispersion characteristics.
(a) Monitoring of Marine Pollution along the Coastline were undertaken at identified
locations by involving two institutions in the west coast viz. NIO and CESS and
two in the east coast viz. CAS in MB, Annamalai University and RRL,
Bhubaneshwar.
(b) Inter-calibration exercise was carried out through RRL, Trivandrum (C-MARS)
and pollution monitoring in the A&N waters through the field unit of NIOT at Port
Blair.
(c) Development of GIS based database for marine pollution was undertaken
through IOM, Anna University. Further, development of oil spill model at selected
locations was carried out using hydrodynamic and water quality modelling data.
(d) Intensive monitoring were conducted at 12 selected locations once in three
months and undertake modelling of movement of pollutants and their fate in a
phased manner in all the 12 hot spots.
The results obtained were disseminated to the Coastal states for remedial action.
The health of the sea at 25 locations, is being monitored once a year. Further, pollution
monitoring is being undertaken in the remaining 45 sampling locations of ‘no concern’
once in two years, to keep a watch on the health of sea in these locations.
2.4.5. Ocean Awareness (Exhibitions, Fairs, Seminars/Symposia,IT & Computers)
The objective of the programme is create ocean awareness and scientific temper
specifically targeting the children. With this in view, the Ministry participates in various
exhibitions and fairs. During the last plan period, the Ministry participated in Vigyan Rail
Project, Indian International Trade Fair, and also the international Trade fairs organized
at Hanover, and Syria. In addition, the Ministry participated in national Trade Fair, apart
from the regular exhibitions, fairs, seminars, symposia etc.
Several brochures and books were brought out for children. A multicolour booklet
specifically designed and developed catering to the children entiltled “Story of Oceans”
was published in 8 coastal languages. Further a number of seminars/ symposia/
workshops, etc. were sponsored.
To meet with the IT Policy of the government, purchase of new computer hardware and
software for the officers and staff of the Ministry is ensured. The existing hardware and
software are to be maintained at the optimum level.
2.4.6. Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM)
Marine eco-toxicology studies including GIS based system for 3 islands and initiated
shore line management studies were carried out under ICMAM project.
The marine environment, which is greatly influenced by a variety of near coast activities
and to certain extent the deep inland activities, is governed by the physical, chemical
and biological processes. Under Eco-system Modelling Approach for Integrated Coastal
and Marine Area Management, as a pre-requisite for Preparation of ICMAM Plans in
selected areas by the coastal states/others, the ICMAM Project Directorate were
conducted the eco-system modelling studies. The Indian coastline has been subjected to
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several geomorphological changes. Relevant aspects of eco-system modelling, namely,
physical processes ideally used for Management of the shoreline land, particularly to
control erosion and accretion have been carried out. Under Marine Eco-toxicology
programme development of criteria and standards for disposal of wastes were
undertaken during the X Plan. Under Assistance to Coastal States, coastal States, which
are in the beginning stage of coastal environmental planning and management, technical
assistance were extended to all the coastal states besides the training programme.
2.4.7. Deep Sea Mineral Resources Exploration
Under these programmes, studies were undertaken to understand seafloor hydrothermal
mineralisation, dynamic interaction of heat and chemicals between the lithosphere and
the oceans at the global system of divergent plate boundaries and behind volcanic island
arcs including at the intra-plate volcanic centres. The Afanasiy – Nikitin seamount, basin
and marginal basins of Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean are potential areas for the
formation of cobalt crusts. The MOOD is actively evolving strategy for comprehensive
assessment of resource potential of the Indian EEZ including gas hydrates, cobalt crust,
etc. Four cruises for collection of additional sample by dredging were conducted. The
project is a comprehensive study of the tectonic, geochemical and other studies in the
spreading centers in the Indian Ocean carried out as a part of joint MOOD-CSIR project.
2.4.8. Paleo-Oceanographic Studies in the Bay of Bengal Fan (BENFAN)
The BENFAN, though the programme was approved and initiated for a period of 4 years,
a major part of it was deferred because of financial constraints. Emphasis was on long
coring of the sediments at selected locations. Collection long sediment cores, from
various parts of Bengal fan by piston corer onboard MOOD vessel Sagar Kanya.
Analysis of core samples for various geochemical, isotope, sedimentological and micro
palaeontological proxies by the participating institutes/universities
2.5. National Institute of Ocean Technology:
. The major achievements of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) are as
follows:
(a) NIOT designed and fabricated ‘a floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
(OTEC) demonstration plant of 1 MW capacity on board Sagar Shakti’ to
demonstrate . Construction of wavepowered desalination Plant at Vizhinjm was
completed. Conceptual design of dynamic positing system for coastal
engineering works was completed. An experimental desalination plant with 5000
litre/ day capacity was set up at NIOT for demonstration of low temperature
thermal prior to setting up of plant in the field. Ejector Driven Vacuum
Desalination and Glass house. Demonstration of Low Temperature Thermal
Desalination (LTTD) at Kavaratti in Lakshadweep with a of capacity 1 lakh liters
per day was commissioned in May, 2005. To meet main land requirements of
fresh water, large-scale barge mounted desalination plants have been designed,
developed and demonstrated near Tuticorin. For scaling up to such large sized
plants it was proposed to set up, design and install a one million liters per day (1
MLD) barge mounted plant in deep ocean waters as an intermediate step. A
barge mounted desalination experiment of capacity one lakh liter/day was also
carried out for 10 days off Tuticorin and this was also successful. A 1 MLD barge
mounted desalination plant moored offshore in deep waters either off Chennai
was developed and commissioned and demonstrated in April 2006. Depending
on viability higher capacity plants (10 and 25-MLD plant) would be designed and
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developed. Besides, design, lab model studies, site surveys and development of
a desalination plant using flash evaporation system and commissioning of RO
plant at Vizhinjam using wave power.
(b) Under Deep Sea Technology, activities were technologies for direct applications
to shallow and deep-water mining upto 500 m depth and development of
technology base for deepwater applications in general (NIOT funding) such as
Remotely Operable Boat (ROB). Underwater, Crawler for shallow water
applications, underwater thruster for operation upto 6000m water depth etc.,
(c) The achievements under Technology for Coastal and Offshore were
construction of Dyke at Haldia Port, conducting studies in mega projects like
Sethusamudram project, Kalpasar project.
(d) Applications including Environmental Engineering aspects envisages building up
necessary expertise for the exploration and recovery of Gas Hydrates, deemed
to be the future source of energy, On-line operational Oil spill disaster / storm
surge prediction modelling and calibration, enhancing the Mathematical
Modelling capability in the areas of pollution, sediment, demonstration of coastal
protection device etc.
(e) An Indo-Russian Centre for Gas Hydrate under ILTP has been established at
NIOT. Under Technology for Marine Instrumentation System, following
programmes a state-of-the-art technology.
(f) An acoustic tide gauge was indigenously developed which received a US patent
and installed in 5 major ports. The Beacon lamp for floating platfoms and
portable Digital current Meter were developed. Ocean ambient noise
measurement analysis and modelling.
(g) Under Institutional Framework: National Institute of Ocean Technology, NIOT
had developed institutional cooperation/collaboration for technology
development, with the reputed National and International Research Laboratories,
Academic Institutions, International Organizations, Private R&D Institutions.
(h) Acoustic Tide gauges were established in Myanmar and Vietanam and
developed Storm Surge modeling under the project entitled “Storm Surge
Disaster Reduction along the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Bangladesh”.
(i) Acoustic Test Facility was established with fully automated transduces ositioning
and calibration system for calibration The State-of-art technology acoustic facility
was established at NIOT and calibrated 150 numbers of probes developed by
BEL.
(j) Studies on Marine Archaeology in Gulf of Khambat were conducted which led to
the discovery of existence of ancient civilization. Lobster Technology for lobster
fattening and larval rearing was developed and transferred the technology to the
coastal community. Some important consultation projects were undertaken such
as navigational channels at Haldia for Kolkata Port Trust. Fixation of Kalpasar
dam alignment’ project in the Gulf of Khambat, Gujarat. Two coastal research
vessels Sagar Poorvi and Sagar Paschimi for coastal developmental activities
have provided uninterrupted support for coastal works and completion of 99
cruises.
(k) Under Ocean Science and Technology for Islands programme, Pilot scale
demonstration of fattening of lobster and crabs in A&N Islands and the main land,
using different feeds have been completed and technology was transferred to a
number of beneficiaries.
2.6. Coastal Research Vessels
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CRV Sagar Purvi & Sagar Paschimi were deployed primarily for pollution monitoring
both in the east and west coast of India. In addition, the vessel was deployed for
physical oceanographic observations & microbiological studies for the waste load
allocation project under ICMAM , Observation of critical habitats in Lakshadweep and
CTD observations off Chennai for ground water discharge.
2.7. Delineation of Outer Limits of Continental Shelf
The Indian Legal Continental Shelf programme is a multi-institutional national endeavor
that seeks to establish the outer limits of the country’s legal continental shelf in
accordance with certain guidelines of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS). As per the provisions of this Convention, coastal states having
continental shelves that exceed 200 nautical miles from their territorial sea baselines
are required to submit the requisite scientific and technical data in support of their
claims for an extended shelf to an international commission. This Commission on the
Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in turn will consider the data submitted and
make recommendations in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS.
Following India’s ratification of the Convention in June 1995, it is now mandatory for the
country to lodge her claims for an extended shelf latest by May 2009. The Indian
endeavors towards this national goal are coordinated by the Department of Ocean
Development and National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) has
been assigned the responsibility of undertaking all the scientific tasks for preparation of
the submission. Underpinning our endeavors is a comprehensive multi-institutional
marine geophysical work programme. The data acquisition as a part of this work
programme comprising multi-channel seismic reflection, refraction, gravity and
magnetic profiling was initiated on the 17th July 2002 and was completed on the 7th of
February 2004. Spread over 385 days of fair-weather period, 27,897 km of seismic
reflection and 28,005 km of gravity and magnetic data were collected from the project
area. In addition, for the first time in the country, 72 state-of-the-art Ocean Bottom
Seismometers (OBS) were successfully deployed along several seismic transects to
constrain the velocities from the reflection data as well as to develop a crustal model of
the area.
Considering the scope of the work, the post-processing and interpretation of the data
was undertaken by three of the leading National Institutes, viz., NCAOR, NGRI and
NIO. A comprehensive flow chart for seismic data interpretation incorporating the
various scientific and technical guidelines of the CLCS was drawn to have a uniform
strategy for data interpretation between these organizations. The interpretation of the
seismic, gravity and magnetic data collected has already been completed. Further the
final document along with detailed documentation of the scientific results and
cartographic work as per the CLCS format is has also been completed at NCAOR, NIO
and NGRI.
To archive and retrieve the enormous amounts of data gathered in various media such
as IBM 3590 tapes, exabytes, CDs and analog records, a state-of-the-art Data Centre
has already been established at NCAOR. In addition, the Data Centre has been
equipped with the most-modern geophysical data processing and interpretation
facilities.
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XI Plan Proposals
During April 2006 and October 2005 a five-day training-workshop on delineation of the
outer limits of the continental shelf was organised at NCAOR for the scientists from Sri
Lanka and Myanmar respectively.
In addition NCAOR initiated as a part of the LCS work programme, a project on
“Understanding the plate tectonic evolutionary history of the south-western continental
margin of India and the adjoining ocean basins” onboard ORV Sagar Kanya during the
period June-July 2005. Bathymetric, gravity and magnetic data collection from the
Project area in the Laccadive Basin and to the south of the Laxmi Ridge has already
been completed, and interpretation work is in progress.
2.8. Comprehensive Systematic Bathymetric survey in EEZ
The area of our Exclusive Economic Zone is over 2 million sq. km. having various living
and non-living resources. This programme entails scientific mapping of this area,
particularly to identifying area for future detailed surveys for the non-living resources
exploration. The shallow beam geophysical surveys using multibeam system for
mapping the bathymetric details at closer grid in the selected locations of EEZ (state of
the art) were initiated.
2.9 Gas hydrates:
The gas hydrates with their abundant resource potential is turning out to be an ideal
substitute for depleting fossil fuels. National Gas Hydrate Programme (NGHP) under the
aegis of ministry of Petroleum has been constituted for investigating gas hydrates in
Indian offshore regions. However, major portion of the continental margins have not
been explored for this purpose. Based on analysis of samples and interpretation of
geophysical & geochemical data, two sites on the east coast of India have been
identified as potential sources for Gas Hydrates and further studies. A great deal of
Scientific studies were conducted in collaboration with Russia in Lake Baikal. Two joint
expeditions were carried out to get first hand experience of gas hydrate samples found
in ice cores. Extensive and concerted programme is being proposed to evaluate the
resource potential of the gas hydrates and to recommend suitable sites for drilling and
ground truth validation. The technology development for exploration of gas hydrate is
underway. A Indo-Russian Gas Hydrate Centre was established at NIOT for undertaking
detailed studies.
2.10 Acquisition of New Research Vessel:
The Department’s focus in the next 5 years will be to develop sustainable technology for
the exploitation of various non-living resources. A suitable platform is required to replace
the vessels and crafts chartered by the MOOD at present, which caters to the demand
for technology services and demonstration programme. This new facility will also cater to
shallow water survey, and act as a supply and support platform for the various coastal
and deep ocean activities planned by the Department. Acquisition of new multipurpose
vessel for Technology vessel serve as a platform for was undetaken which would also
serve as a utility science vessel
.The NIOT the nodal agency had prepared specification, floated tender and signed
contract after a revision of the initial estimated cost in December 2005. The model tests
have been conducted and construction is underway. The Steel cutting has commenced
and the vessel is expected to be delivered in September 2007.
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XI Plan Proposals
2.11. Geophysical Studies of Laxmi Basin
The project on geophysical studies in the Laxmi Basin-Ridge areas was undertaken and
completed during the X plan period. The enigmatic Laxmi ridge is a prominent
bathymetric feature of the northeastern Arabian Sea located some 300 km oceanwards
of the Indian continental shelf and extending in an E-W to NW-SE direction. The origin
of this ridge as well as the nature of the crust forming the basement to the ridge and the
basin to its east (the “Laxmi Basin”) have been topics of intense academic debate for
over a decade now. Considering the importance of the Laxmi Ridge and basin in
facilitating an understanding of the evolution of the Arabian Sea in its entirety, and to
arrive at a logical conclusion on the nature of the basement beneath these geological
features, the Department, through NCAOR, initiated during 2002-03, an integrated
geophysical study comprising multi-channel seismic reflection, refraction, gravity and
magnetic profiling across the Laxmi Basin and the ridge.
The total quantum of work undertaken on completion of the data acquisition during
February 2004 comprised 3600 km of seismic reflection, gravity and magnetic profiling
and 18 successful OBS deployments.
The analysis of data shows interesting light on the nature of crustal characteristics and
the affinity towards the continental structure. The report of the work has been prepared.
2.12 Early Warning System for Mitigation of Oceanogenic
Disasters: Tsunami and Storm Surges in Indian Ocean
The coastal states and island territories of India are frequently effected storm surges and
occasionally impacted by tsunami such as the Great tsunami of 26th December 2004,
occurred due to a large earthquake in the eastern Indian Ocean. This has caused severe
damage to the coastal population of India both in terms of property and life. Recognizing
the imperative need to put in place an early warning system for mitigation of
oceanogenic disasters such as tsunami and storm surges, the Ministry had formulated a
proposal in consultation with the Department of Science & Technology, Department of
Space and CSIR. It is expected that the system of early warning system will be
implemented by end of 2007. All the necessary clearances have been obtained and a
project was taken up for implementation with INCOIS, Hyderabad as the nodal agency
for overall implementation and coordination of the project. The system will be developed
indigenously by Indian scientists. An interim-tsunami Warning System has been made
operational on 24 x 7 basis by deployment of a set of tide gauges in selected locations.
The seismic network is currently being strengthened. Various activities are progressing
as per schedule.
2.13 Data Buoy Programme:
Augmentation of moored buoy network from 12-buoy network established during IX plan,
to 40-buoy network by the end of X Plan, with indigenisation of its prototypes.
Indigenous productions of data buoys have been completed including setting up of
INSAT communication between buoy and shore station for data transfer. Data collected
under the programmes have been made available in real-time and delayed mode
depending on operational weather forecasting and research activities. Development of
Indigenous technology and produce a set of moored data buoys with INSAT
communication. Completion of design of buoy tender vessel and initiated construction
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XI Plan Proposals
work. Established 26-moored buoy network in selected locations to acquire
meteorological and oceanographic data. A buoy tender vessel “Sagar Manjusha” has
been constructed and commissioned recently at Vishakahapatnam. This will cater to
the needs of observation platforms.
3. CONTINUING PROGRAMME
3.1 Polar Science and Antarctic Expedition
Objectives of the programme are given below:
• To ensure a perceptible and influential presence of India in the Polar regions.
• Uphold our strategic interests in the global framework of nations in the Polar
regions and the Southern oceans expressed through our consultative status
in the Treaty and by conducting substantial scientific activities,
• Pursue a scientific work plan which is dynamic and is aimed towards
addressing issues pertinent to our national needs, having potential
application and those which have global relevance.
Proposed activities during the XI Plan period:
A. METEOROLOGICAL AND ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES
• Aerosol Radiative Flux estimation using Sky Radiometer
• High resolution data acquisition using Automated Weather Station (AWS) and
data logger
• Establishment of geomagnetic observatory at Larseman Hill Site (deployment of
instruments like DFM, DIM, PPM)
• Continuation of planetary boundary layer studies at interval of 2-3 years to
monitor long term changes, if any and also access environmental impact, if any.
• Continuation of Katabatic flow, snow drift and energy balance radiation studies
using AWS.
• To study the vertical distribution of aerosol and optical properties of Polar
Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) on continuous basis by micro pulse LIDAR. The
online measurements will help in understanding the characteristics of different type
of the PSCs and polar vortex dynamics.
• To study the temporal variations of CO2, CH4, CO, surface O3 and NOx gases over
Maitri, Antarctica.
• Space-based remote sensing of Polar region (new programme).
• Establishment of radio receiving facility in the 35-125 MHz range
B. GEOLOGY, GEOPHYSICS, GLACIOLOGY AND GLOBAL CHANGE
• Studies of the processes involved in formation of supercontinent Gondwanaland
and its fragmentation.
• Closed spaced mapping on large scale, for extensive petrological and
geochemical studies.
• Systematic geological mapping to be extended upto 0 degree longitude.
• Glaciological and limnological studies in CDML for paleoclimatic reconstruction
and modeling.
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XI Plan Proposals
• Shallow ice core drilling along a transect starting from Maitri Station upto polar
plateau.
• Long-term monitoring of polar ice sheet margin and accumulation / ablation
studies in ice shelf areas.
• Mapping of basement topography in ice covered areas
• Lake bed profiling in Schirmacher oasis and Gruber massif.
• Stratigraphic correlation between wide spaced bore holes
• Mapping of Ice shelf – sea water interface, grounding line of ice shelf and calving
lines of the ice shelf in the India Bay area.
• Bathymetric/hydrographic surveys at the site of the new Indian base.
• Temporal and spatial variation of energy and mass balance of different snow and
ice media in Antarctica using satellite remote sensing, AWS and GPR.
• Correlation between snow drift and snow properties.
C. BIOLOGY
• Biodiversity of sea-ice microbial community.
• Biodiversity and conservation of terrestrial and aquatic biota (fungi, lichens,
bryophytes, micro fauna like protozoans, nematodes, tardigrades)
• Biodiversity of microbial community like anaerobic bacteria.
• Microbial bio-prospecting and bio-technological applications- joint ventures with
Public and Private Institutions.
• Determination of indicator fauna and their population trends and impact of
anthropogenic and other biotic and abiotic factors on the Antarctic ecosystem.
• GIS based wild life census and cataloging of shoreline and pack-ice regions.
D. HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
• Pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant profile in humans exposed to Antarctic environment.
• Bone turnover during residency at Antarctica
• Telemetric monitoring of physiological variables
• Free-radical induced biochemical changes in the human body
• Comparative studies of human behaviour and physiological / psychological
changes in Antarctica with that of Arctic region.
E. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
• Continuous monitoring and conservation of soil, water and air quality.
• Environmental audit and impact of waste management protocol.
• Development of oil handling, storage, spill and other emergency handling
protocols.
• Generation of baseline data for EIA.
• Identification of areas of SPA and SSSI on the basis of wild life value.
F. ENGINEERING AND COMMUNICATION
• Maitri as well as the Third Antarctic Base in the Larsemann Hills to be equipped
with state of art high speed option of INMARSAT-B facilitating high speed data
link between India and the Antarctic research stations.
• Long-term experiment in association for monitoring the effect of geomagnetic
activity over High frequency communication.
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XI Plan Proposals
• Development and application of non-conventional energy sources (wind, solar,
fuel cells).
• Development of incinerators, vehicles, life support systems for cold region utility.
• Automatic conditioning monitoring and remotely operated systems.
G. STRENGTHENING OF MAITRI STATION
The structure and service systems of Maitri station have been developed
indigenously by DRDO using materials available in the country. The station has already
withstood about eighteen years of useful life in a rigorous environment beyond its
projected life span of ten years. As a part of our endeavor to maintain a state-of-the-art
station in Antarctica, during the XXIII Indian Scientific Expedition, NCAOR had
undertaken a comprehensive structural assessment of the Maitri station building as well
as of the waste water management system through the scientists of M/s. EIL, New Delhi
and SERC, Chennai. Based on the studies undertaken, it is proposed to undertake the
following tasks during the XI Plan period, in a phased manner:
Replacement of the toilets, wall and roof panels of C Block.
Revamping Block A.
Establishment of field huts such as the Igloo satellite cabins in the mountains.
Augmentation of the existing Klargester units.
Provision of adequate lab. and working space in Maitri as well as in the Summer
Huts.
Development of an online condition and performance monitoring system of
various infrastructural facilities operating at Maitri.
Financial requirement : Rs. 154.00 crore
Rs. In crore
2007- 2008-09 2009- 2010-11 2011- Total,
Details 08 10 12
1.Charter of ship/own 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 75.00
vessel and helicopters 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 **20.00
2. Expedition to Antarctica 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 20.00
3. Res. Station in 3.50 3.50 4.00 4.00 5.00 20.00
Antarctica
4. Science support to 3.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 19.00
participating organisations
Total 25.50 28.50 31.00 33.00 36.00 154.00
* Assuming own ship will be ready by end of XI Plan
** Charter charges for two helicopters
Foreign Exchange Component: Rs. 97.50 crores
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
3.2. Polymetalic Nodules Programme
On 26th January, 1981 the first nodule from the deep sea floor was picked up by
India onboard RV Gaveshani. These nodules were the harbinger of an important
programme viz. Polymetallic Nodules(PMN) Programme, formulated by India to explore
the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).
India, an active player the various deliberations in formulation of United
Nations Convention on Law of the Sea(UNCLOS) has been instrumental in carrying out
of necessary activities pertaining to the research on Polymetallic Nodules available at
the sea bottom. In April, 1982 United Nations recognized India as the Pioneer Investor.
The UNCLOS was opened for signature in December, 1982. Subsequently, in August ,
1987, India was allocated the Pioneer area of 1,50,000 sq. km in Central Indian Ocean
Basin. The location of the area is indicated by the box given below. India was the first
country to have achieved the status. Consequently, India registered as Pioneer Investor
with the United Nations along with IFREMER/AFERNOD, France , Deep Sea Research
Development Company Ltd. (DORD), Japan, Yuzhmorgeologiya, USSR (Russian
Federation), and Germany. This was followed by registration of China Ocean Mineral
Resources and Development Association (COMRA), China, Inter-ocean metal [Bulgaria,
Cuba, Check and Slovak Federal Republic (Czech Republic, Slovakia), Poland, USSR
(Russian Federation)], and Government of the Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea. In
June 1995, India ratified the UNCLOS and the Agreement for implementation of Part XI
of the Convention. Today, India is an elected member of the Council under Group B -
Investors Category. India also signed a contract with International Seabed Authority in
the year 2002 for a period of 15 years. As a part of its obligation, India has relinquished
the 50% area upon detailed survey. India also prepared plan of work and has been
submitting the annual report to ISBA as a contractor. India is presently in the process of
developing a technology for exploration and utilization of Polymetallic nodules from the
area of 75000 sq. km., retained in the Central Indian Ocean Basin allotted by the
International Seabed Authority. India's nominee is and has also been member of the
Legal and Technical Commission and contributed substantially to its work. India
continues to support the International Seabed Authority and participates in the meetings
of the Council, Assembly, Legal and Technical Commission and Finance Committee of
the Authority.
3.2.1 Survey & Exploration
The X plan period had the primary target to identify the 1st Generation Mine site with
essential inputs from different types of exploration, analysis etc. Continuing these
efforts, the following plan of work is proposed during XI Plan:
• Continue to carry out close-grid sampling at 6.25 km grid in the bottom half of the
designated area – occupy 166 stations.
• Determine the grade from all the stations by chemical analysis
• Determine the abundance from the all the new stations
• Integrate the grade and abundance data with the existing data in this part of the
retained area and generate a final picture of the best blocks as far as grade and
abundance are concerned which would form the nucleus for the 1st Generation
Mine Site.
• High resolution mapping of the ocean floor with 1st generation mining site area
using an ROV.
• Study and analysis of newly generated grade, abundance data plus the existing
data along with the slow scan multibeam maps generated during the X plan to
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
fine tune the 1ST generation mine site. This activity is expected to be completed
by the end of the 1st year of the XI plan.
Financial requirement Rs. 17.70 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
2.00 5.00 5.00 3.00 2.70 17.70
3.2.2 Environmental Impact Assessment
As a result of the exploration for polymetallic nodules, an area of 150,000 sq.km.
with promising deposits was identified in the Central Indian Basin (CIB). Arising from the
need for evaluation of environmental data for designing a mining system as well as for
prediction of potential impact of mining on marine ecosystem, the project on ‘EIA studies
for nodule mining in CIB’ was initiated in 1996, under the national programme on
polymetallic nodules of the Department.
Objectives of the program are provided below:
• To evaluate baseline environmental conditions in nodule areas
• To study the effects of sediment redistribution on marine environment.
• To monitor the processes of environmental restoration and recolonisation
• To provide inputs for designing and operation of a marine mining systems
• To develop environmental management plan for deep-sea mining
During the XI plan period, it is proposed to consolidate these into meaningful information
and collect detailed data on different environmental conditions in the proposed first
generation mine-site, which will help in development of mining system, planning its
operation and formulation of guidelines for mining, as per the stipulations of the
International Seabed Authority (UN).
The activities proposed include :
o Characterisation of nodule associated sub-surface sediments
o Assessment of nodule associated fauna and other environmental
parameters
o In-situ seafloor characteristics investigation
o Contribution of pelagic flux to benthic ecosystem and nodule mining
o Preparation of environmental management plan
o Creation of environmental database -II
Financial Requirement : Rs. 22.59 crores
Rs. In crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
4.00 5.00 4.00 5.00 4.59 22.59
3.3.3 Technology Development (Extractive Metallurgy)
Deep-sea manganese nodules are a unique and complex deposit requiring an equally
unique extraction process suited to their properties. The extraction processes for
recovery of metal from nodules collected from the Indian Ocean are being developed by
different National laboratories and R&D Centres in India, funded by Ministry of Ocean
Development (MOOD). These laboratories have tested about 15 process routes. After
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
careful evaluation of the test results of these process routes in early 1986; five potential
routes were short-listed for further development on laboratory scale. Further evaluation
of these five routes through regular interaction with the participating laboratories enabled
MOOD to focus attention principally on three process routes for further development and
scale-up.
Roast reduction ammoniacal leach
Ammoniacal Sulfur-di-Oxide leach and
Starch- Sulphuric acid leach.
Polymetallic nodules pilot plant set up by MOOD at Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur is
based on a hydrometallurgical process route. The pilot plant was commissioned in
March 2002. During the last 3 years, significant quantity of nodules have been
processed and large-scale experimental information have been generated.
During XI plan period, Technology Development-Metallurgy programme would be
oriented to fulfill the following objectives based on recent technological advancements:
- Testing of all the three process routes at 500kg/day scale.
- Testing of other two process routes - smelting technique and the high pressure
high temperature sulphuric acid leaching process.
- Development of suitable process for extraction of metals from crust.
- Recovery of ammonia from liquid effluent containing ammonium sulfate.
- Development of process for safe disposal of solid effluent based on electro-
remediation technique.
- Developing/strengthening capabilities in the area of solvent extraction based on
the recent developments in this area.
- Development of suitable process for extraction of molybdenum from nodules.
- Development of mathematical model for PMN Process evaluation.
- Development of processes for production of value added products from leached
residue.
- Techno-economics studies of different processes based on which final process to
be selected for commercial application.
- Distribution of precious metals and rare earth elements in Indian Ocean
Manganese Nodules.
- R&D endeavours.
NML(J), RRL(B), BARC, and EIL would be involved in achieving the XI plan objectives.
Processing of ferro-manganese crusts
Less information is available for the cobalt rich ferro-manganese crusts though their
resource potential has been of great interest. India has gained sufficient expertise in the
area of hydro and pyro-metallurgy due to extensive extractive metallurgy work in the
polymetallic nodules implemented by Ministry of Ocean Development. Indian
laboratories can utilize this knowledge for development of suitable process for extraction
of cobalt and other strategic metals from ferro-manganese crust. The various envisaged
activities are as follows :-
· Preliminary technology evaluation
· Preliminary laboratory investigations on selected process routes
· Screening of process routes for detailed investigations
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XI Plan Proposals
· Bench scale investigations on identified process routes
· Detailed pilot scale investigations on identified process routes
Financial requirement : Rs. 56.48 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
10.00 25.00 10.00 6.00 5.48 56.48
3.3.4 Technology Development (Mining)
The Deep sea technology and Ocean mining group has been actively involved in
the development of technology for mining of polymetallic nodules from 6000 m water
depth. A major project for development of technology for mining these nodules in
collaboration with the Institüt for Konstruktion (IKS), University of Siegen, Germany was
taken up by NIOT. An underwater mining system consisting of a crawler based mining
machine with a flexible riser system has been developed and tested for operations at
410 m water depth, which is a significant milestone in establishing India’s capability to
take up the utilization of the resources of the Oceans at all depths. The crawler was
tested for second time successfully for operations at a depth of 451 m off Goa coast in
March 2006. Based on the results obtained from the tests, design reports have been
prepared for a crawler based mining system for mining the manganese nodules from
6000 m depth.
The next phase of the project involves development of Collector and Crusher
system for mining Polymetallic Nodules (PMN) from the sea floor and its qualification at
500m water depth by laying artificial nodules. An in-situ subsea soil tester is being
developed for precise measurement of soil strength to design and develop the future
deep sea mining machine as well as to isolate areas of very low soil strength to prevent
the mining machine from sinking in to the sea floor. The soil tester will be used to
demarcate the complete first generation mining site by carrying out surveys on
continuous basis. To develop a strong knowledge and capability in terms of deep sea
technology it is planned to carry out various studies under Hyperbaric and low
temperature condition for long-term operations and develop subcomponents for deep
sea applications. The studies and subcomponent development will be done through inter
institutional R&D. The proposal for the XI five year plan is presented here.
Objective:
• Design and development of a new crawler based mining machine capable of
collecting and pumping nodules from 6000 m water depth. To develop a flexible
riser system for transporting nodules from the ocean floor to the mother ship/
barge.
• Qualify the underwater mining system at 6000 metres from ship / floating platform
equipped with DP system using winches, cable and handling systems.
• Manned submersible to monitor the function of under water mining system at
6000m depth in phases and for sampling purpose.
• Development of small semi submersible floating station.
This would necessitate technology development in the following areas:
• Crawler chassis
• Enhancement of 500m rated collecting and pick up system developed in X plan to
6000m.
• Lateral transport and crusher unit
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XI Plan Proposals
• Hose coupling
• Hydrotransport studies for nodule size degradation and wear of hoses.
• Slurry pump development for higher pressure
• Underwater cable
• Underwater cable end termination
• Hose cable attachment
• Integrated developmental tests
• Sea tests
The power module for manned submersible could also be diesel based. The possibility
of exploring the nuclear power source will also be explored for longer duration.
The development and realisation of Integrated Mining System will be focused around the
following:
• Development and realisation of crawler and associated hardware.
• Realisation of umbilical cable, special hose of 7000 m length, along with its
coupling.
• Realisation of ship / floating platform along with associated launch facilities.
• Development and realisation of new systems indicated.
• In situ soil testing in the First Generation Mine Site
In addition it is planned to carry out studies on material behavior in hyperbaric
and low temperature condition for long term operations and develop sub-components for
deep sea applications through inter-institutional R&D efforts.
Detailed documentation of the requirements, qualification and acceptance criteria for
new systems to be developed jointly by the industries.
Industrial Participation
Realisation of the project would be through Industrial participation as follows:
• Many of the requirements are high technology, high value, less quantity items
made to specific requirements of the project.
• Realisation of mechanical and structural works involving precision fabrication is
proposed to be realised mainly through industries.
• During the project many industries are expected to contribute in the
development of integrated mining system.
• By this process during operation phase NIOT can concentrate on R&D activities
and contract management leaving industries to manufacture and commercialise
nodule mining.
Implementing Agency : NIOT
Financial Requirement: Rs.627 crore
Yearwise Break up Estimated cost
S.No. Title
in crores of
Rupees
07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-
12
1. Integrated
Deep Sea 10 70 60 40 55 235
Mining
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XI Plan Proposals
System for
6000 m
2. Development
of Small 0 0 35 50 65 150
Semi
Submersible
Floating
Station
3. Development
of manned 10 80 50 50 35 225
Submersible
capable of
operation at
6000 m
water depth
4 4 5 4 3 1 17
Offshore
operations
24 155 149 143 156 627
Total
3.3 Ocean Observation and Information System (OOIS)
3.3.1 Ocean Advisory and Information Services
3.3.1.1 Potential Fishing Zones Advisories
INCOIS has been providing Potential Fishing Zone Advisories generated from satellite
retrieved SST and chlorophyll. These advisories are being provided thrice-a-week during
the non-monsoon and non-ban period to the entire coastline of the Country using a host
of dissemination methods.
It has been proved that PFZ advisories have provided a definite advantage to the fishing
community in terms of considerable reduction in searching time to the tune of 30 to 70
%. This in-turn amounts to savings in cost of fuel and valuable human effort. A modest
computation of quantitative advantage derived varied between Rs.1.56 lakhs and Rs.6
lakhs per vessel for a 6-month period, depending on the size of the vessel/HP of the
engine.
Hence it is imperative to sustain the ongoing PFZ Mission, which is presently being
pursued as part of the Common Minimum Programme of the Government of India.
Continuous validation and feedback is imperative for improving the operational forecast
of PFZ. INCOIS has already taken up 6 validation experiments along the east and west
coasts of India in collaboration with the Academia and other central institutions. It is
proposed to extend these validation experiments so as to cover the entire coastline of
the Country. User awareness workshops need to be conducted regularly to update the
fishing community of the latest advances in the advisories and to solicit their feedback. It
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XI Plan Proposals
is also necessary to conduct independent market research on scientific lines to get a
feedback on the utilisation of the forecasts and to understand the market needs.
During the X Plan, INCOIS has taken up several novel initiatives for dissemination of
PFZ information. Once such initiative that became popular among the coastal fishing
community is the Electronic Digital Display Boards installed in the major fishing
harbours. 20 such boards have been installed that remotely updated from INCOIS in real
time. These boards are also capable of providing any other collateral information useful
for the fishermen such as market prices, weather, etc. Hence it is imperative to increase
the content and coverage of these boards to the entire coastline of the country.
With minimal upgradations in design and communication, these boards could be well
used for communicating disaster information to the needy coastal population very
effectively. This network will then be a unique mode of communication where selective
information could be passed on to specific locations or all locations in real-time from a
central node at INCOIS. Considering the vast coastline of India, it is necessary to install
at least 200 such boards to cater to a variety of information needs including disasters
such as tsunami warnings and storm surges.
INCOIS has been operationally providing Open Ocean Wave forecast to about 60 users,
during the X plan. This has proven to be extremely useful for the shipping & oil industry
and navy for their safe operations at sea. It is imperative to continue providing this
forecast to all the users. It is also proposed to improve the accuracy and spatial as well
as temporal resolution of the forecast. It is also proposed to provide user required value
added products such as Wave Atlas, optimum ship route Information etc.
Species Specific Forecast for Tuna And Oil Sardine
The Market research survey conducted by INCOIS in 2002, as well as the user feedback
had suggested that the fishermen require specific forecasts for commercially important
fish species such as Tuna, Sardines, etc. Considering this, as part of the SATCORE
Project, MOOD and DOS have pursued research during the X Plan for generating
species specific PFZ forecast for Tuna. This is proposed to be made operational at
INCOIS by the beginning of XI Plan. In addition, R&D efforts will be mounted during the
XI plan for generation of species specific forecasts for other commercially important
species such as sardines, etc. It is also proposed to conduct Fish Tagging experiments
that will throw light on the migration aspect of fishes as well as the favourable
environmental conditions which they prefer.
Integrated PFZ Forecast
Presently PFZ forecasts are issued based on features such as fronts, eddies, meanders,
etc that are derived from Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll images. It is well
known that these features shift due to effect of local wind-driven Currents. The launch of
Scatterometer aboard Oceansat-II will give us the capability to operationally retrieve
winds in the Indian Seas. R&D has already been taken up as part of SATCORE Project
during X Plan to incorporate this information into the PFZ Forecasts. This will be made
operational during the XI Plan.
It is also known that Mixed Layer Depth information is very important for identification of
Potential Fishing Zones. This will provide information on thermal fronts in the vertical
domain as well as will be useful for operation of fishing gear. Hence it is imperative to
pursue R&D during XI plan in this direction.
In addition to the information on fishing locations, fishermen need information on sea
state for their safe navigation and operations at sea. It is planned to secure this
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information from the appropriate operational agencies and provide to the fishermen in a
timely manner along with the PFZ information.
The modelling efforts being mounted at INCOIS will provide the necessary inputs to run
local models at high-resolution that will provide local specific sea state information to the
fishing community.
Financial requirement: Rs.35.00 crore.
Rs in crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
7.60 8.10 7.10 6.10 6.10 35.00
Enhanced User Interaction and Delivery Chain
In order to understand the user requirements and to increase awareness, it is necessary
to frequently interact with the users. Hence it is proposed to conduct user meets
frequently. The delivery chain needs to be enhanced and extended to offshore.
Financial requirement : Rs.5.00 crore.
Rs in crores
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011-
08 09 10 11 12 TOTAL
Value-added Services and
Consultancy Services 1.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 5.00
3.3.1.2 Operational Coastal Ocean Wave & Current Forecast
Presently INCOIS is providing forecast of tidal currents for the North West coast of India.
High-resolution Coastal ocean forecast is very useful to the fishing community, search
and rescue operations, etc. It is necessary to continue this service. Further, Survey
conducted during X Plan revealed that many leading users of OSF require coastal
forecast for wave and currents. R&D efforts being mounted at INCOIS as part of Ocean
Modelling will provide useful inputs to provide operational forecasts of coastal currents.
INCOIS conducted OSF validation experiment in association with other premier national
institutions in the Country. This has provided useful inputs for improving the accuracy of
the forecast. These studies need to be continued using both in-situ and satellite data
during the XI Plan for better forecast accuracy both in space and time.
The estimated fund requirement would be Rs. 24.60 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
4.65 6.70 5.30 4.05 3.90 24.60
3.4 Marine Research and Technology Development
3.4.1 Marine Living Resources and FORV
The Marine Living Resources Programme [MLRP] was initiated by the Department in
1998 at its attached office ‘Centre for Marine Living Resource & Ecology’ [CMLRE], with
the following objectives;
• Survey and assessment of deep-sea and distant water fishery resources.
• Survey and exploitation of non-conventional resources.
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• Monitoring and Surveillance of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) in the Indian
EEZ.
• To carry out studies on Marine Benthos in the Indian EEZ and to generate
advisories on the impact of bottom trawling on the benthic community and
the fisheries.
• Ecosystem management of living resources including experimental
ecosystem studies.
• Coordination and implementation of Southern Ocean Living Resources
Programme.
• Establish FORV Data and Referral Centre.
• Semi Commercial Exploitation of Myctophid Resources of Arabian Sea
To fulfill the above objectives, the Marine Living Resources Programme was
implemented during the IX & X plan period as a multi-institutional programme with the
active participation of Fishery Survey of India-Mumbai, Central Marine Fisheries
Research Institute (CMFRI)-Kochi, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Central
Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT)-Kochi, Central Institute of Fisheries Education
(CIFE)-Mumbai, National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR)-Lucknow, Cochin
University of Science & Technology (CUSAT)-Kochi, Andhra University, Kerala
University and Annamalai University.
Major themes proposed to be taken up during the XI plan under the MLR Scheme are
prioritized below.
3.4.1.1 Monitoring & Surveillance of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)
The frequency and extend of Harmful Algal Blooms in the world oceans are reported to
be increasing due to various anthropogenic inputs to the sea. These blooms adversely
affect the living resources by depleting nutrients and dissolved oxygen, cause Paralytic
Shell Fish Poisoning (PSP) in humans which is fatal and destroy coastal aquaculture
farms. Taking these into consideration the International Panel on HAB (IP-HAB) has
advised monitoring and surveillance of blooms in the world oceans, with a view to
developing prediction capabilities and reduce the possible economic loses. Under the
MLR scheme, HAB monitoring was initiated during the 9th plan period (1998). The MLR-
HAB surveys covered 761 stations in the Indian EEZ in connection with the project on
Harmful Algal Blooms. Analysis of the species composition revealed that 392 species of
micro-algae consisting of 206 species of diatoms, 164 species of dinoflagllates, 16
species of blue-green algae are the most common ones encountered. Among
dinoflagllates 13 species were identified as toxic and 8 species as harmful. The diatoms
included 2 toxic species and 14 harmful species. Eight species of Cynobacteria spp., two
harmful species of Trichodesmium were common in the population. 16 algal blooms
covering extensive oceanic areas were observed from FORV Sagar Sampada. These
include 7 blooms of Trichodesmium theibautii, 6 blooms of T.erythraeum and 3 blooms
of Noctiluca miliaris. In addition 7 algal blooms were detected along the Kerala coast
which included 3 blooms of Gymnodinium veneficum, 2 blooms of Noctiluca scintillans
and one bloom each of Anabaena spiroides and Hornettia marnia. As an off shoot of the
study the distribution of Chlorophyll-a, diatoms and dinoflagellates in the Arabian sea
and the Bay of Bengal was chartered and the patterns delineated.
Monitoring and surveillance of HAB in the Indian waters are proposed to be continued
during the XI plan period. Data & information from the open ocean will be gathered
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through regular cruises of FORV Sagar Sampda. This activity will be undertaken by
CMLRE through its HAB Centre. Studies on the near coastal waters and aqua farms
along the east and west coasts of India will be undertaken by CUSAT-Kochi, Andhra
University, Kerala University, Annamalai University and Manglore University. Genetic
characterization of the major toxic species will be undertaken by the National Bureau of
Fish Genetics Research(NBFGR) Lucknow. Satellite algorithms for retrieval of algal
blooms will be developed through collaboration with Space application Centre(SAC)
Ahmedabad. Major objectives during XI plan are to study the bloom formation, bloom
crash, role of algal cysts in the formation of blooms, environmental conditions during
formation and crash of blooms and to attempt development of models to explain bloom
formation. Work components, agencies involved and estimated cost are given below
3.4.1.2 Marine Benthos of the Indian EEZ
Marine Benthos play a major role in the process of mineralization, forms the food
material to demersel fish and also support the pelagic fishery indirectly by way of benthic
larval forms contributing to the zooplankton biomass. The benthic community in the shelf
area are reported to be affected extensively due to bottom trawling operations. The
concept of ‘closed fishing seasons’ has been adopted by many coastal states to revive
benthos and the related fishery.One of the major lacuna was the non-availability of
bench mark data to assess the impact of bottom trawling and to evaluate the merits of
the closed fishing seasons. Taking this into consideration, the MLR project on Marine
Benthos was initiated during the 9th plan period (1998). Under this study the macro
benthic fauna and meiofauna of both the east and west coasts and their standing stock
have been estimated estimated. This was completed in 2003.The country has now a
strong bench mark data on the Marine benthos of the shelf waters. However, with regard
to the South East coast, it is necessary to reassess the earlier estimates, as these
estimates are based only on limited observations. During the X plan period, marine
benthos along the continental slope area (200-1000m depth) are being studied, covering
macrobenthos, meio benthos and micro benthos. To fulfill the data base requirements, it
is necessary to obtain additional information on marine benthos from Andaman and
Lakshadweep and also information on micro benthos of the shelf waters covering both
east and west coasts. During the XI plan period it is planned to undertake studies
covering the Lakshadweep and the shelf waters of the South East coast. The
programme components, agencies involved and fund requirements are given below;
3.4.1.3 Southern Ocean Living Resources
Southern ocean fishery resources are presently being exploited mainly by countries such
as Spain, Japan, USA, U.K, South Africa, Russia and Korea. The major living resources
of the area are the Antarctic Krill(Euphausia superba) and the Patagonian tooth fish
(Dissostichus spp). Ice fish(Champocephalus spp) is also available in moderate
quantities. Exploitation of the Antarctic Marine Living resources are regulated by a
Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). India is
a member of the CCAMLR and has the right to claim catch quotas from the Convention
area; subject to undertaking the mandatory scientific surveys and assessment atleast
once in two years.
The CCAMLR matters of India are coordinated by the CMLRE. The CMLRE had
organized an expedition to the Indian ocean sector of the southern ocean for krill
exploitation(FIKEX) in 1995. Further, the meeting of the CCAMLR Working Group on
Ecosystem Monitoring and Management(WG-EMM) was organized by CMLRE at Kochi
during 1998. The MLR group also participated in the Southern Ocean cruise programme
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of ORV Sagar Kanya in 2004. The CMLRE also represented India in all the annual
meeting of the Commission held at Hobart, Australia in Oct-Nov, 2005.
Taking into consideration the possibility of promoting commercial scale fishing by Indian
fishing industry in the southern ocean, it is proposed to conduct expeditions to the
southern ocean, once in two years which is a mandatory requirement to obtain catch
quotas from CCAMLR. The first such expedition is planned during Jan-March 2008,
under the International Polar Year (IPY). Preliminary discussions on this were held with
CCAMLR and the Commission in October 2005. Under the IPY scheme, the CCAMLR
will be undertaking a ‘core project’ for assessment of krill and other fishery resources in
the Atlantic ocean sector of the Convention area. The core project, which forms the lead
project of the CCAMLR will be carried out in the south west Atlantic covering sub areas
48.5, 48.4, 48.3 and 48.2. Many countries with their ships have volunteered to
participate in this effort. As per the discussions held at CCAMLR-2005, the Commission
has requested India to cover the 0-30 E sector of the south Atlantic which is adjacent to
the Western Indian ocean sector. It is proposed to use FORV Sagar Sampada for the
said survey. FORV Sagar Sampada which is an ice-strengthened vessel is equipped
with all scientific instruments to meet the survey requirements. The instruments on board
are CTD, Simrod EK-60 with 38 KHz, 12 KHz and 200 KHz transducers, MPN, Bongo
nets, Auto analyser and fishing winches. However, the limitation will be absence of
required facilities for bottom long-lining for Dissostichus spp.on board the vessel. The
next expedition to the Southern Ocean is planned in 2010 by chartering a vessel or
onboard the new vessel which is proposed to be procured as a replacement for FORV
Sagar Sampada. During these expeditions, it is planned to undertake the following
activities; Resource survey and acoustic assessment of krill and fin fishes, primary
production, abundance and distribution of phyto and zooplankton, distribution of marine
benthos, studies on marine mammals, studies on avian fauna and hydrography of
Antarctic waters. Proposed agencies and financial implications are as under;
3.4.1.4 Sponsored R & D projects under MLR
Sponsored R & D projects on MLR are proposed in the field of “Application Oriented
Research” and “Biodiversity and censors of Marine Life”. It is proposed to support these
following projects during the XI plan period:
3.4.1.5 FORV Data & Referral Centre
CMLRE has been designated in 1998 as the FORV Data & Referral centre. Accordingly,
a data centre has been set up at CMLRE and all available FORV data from cruise 165
onwards of the vessel has been pooled. The primary objective of the data centre is to
develop ‘National Fishery Oceanographic Data Sets’ (N-FODS) by pooling all the
information available through FORV and then filling up the gaps through data obtained
from other sources. The centre is also involved in the development of annual fishery
oceanographic bulletins, covering the fishery and the environment for the respective
year.
The FORV referral centre maintains all FORV collections for future use and
verifications by experts. The objective is to develop the centre as a National Referencing
Station on MLR.These are ongoing activities in CMLRE at present.
3.4.1.6 Survey and Assessment of Deep-Sea and Distant Water Fishery Resources
The estimated potential yield of the fishery resources in the Indian EEZ is 3.93 million
tons (Silas etal, 2000). The average annual yield at present is 2.80 million tons. The
fishery resources of the shelf area are nearly fully exploited. Additional resources to
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meet the National demands could be located only from the oceanic region and the
benthic realm. However, deep-sea and distant sea fishing possibilities need to be
established before commercial exploitations are recommended. Therefore, there is an
urgent need to survey and assess the resources and develop adequate harvesting and
post harvesting technologies. The fishery surveys conducted by FSI are mostly in the
shelf area (upto 200m depths). FORV Sagar Sampada is the only research vessel
currently available which can undertake these surveys.
Demersal fishery survey along the Indian Continental slope area (200 to 1000m
depth), was carried out during the IX & X plan periods by FORV Sagar Sampada. After
a series of experiments with various types of fishing gears such as Expo model trawl,
High Speed Demersal Trawl (HSDT) –Fish version, HSDT-Crustacean version, High
opening trawl (HOT) and Long wing trawl, it was found that the performance of Expo
model trawl was the best for demersal fishery and the HSDT crustacean version for
shrimps and lobsters. Accordingly, these two gears have been chosen as the standard
gears for MLR-demersal fishery surveys. Using the above two standard gears, 192
fishing operations were carried out in the deeper waters above 200 to 1000 meters. 30
trawl operations were conducted employing HOT, HSDT-FV and Long wing Trawl. The
average CPUE was 185Kg/hour. The findings that most of the ground surveyed have
potential for developing commercial fishing for shrimps and lobsters is encouraging.
However, before scientific advise on resource availability and maximum sustainable
yield (MSY) are transferred to the fishing industry, there is an urgent need to satisfy the
following conditions.
(i) Each grid (60x60NM) is surveyed successfully at least thrice using Expo and
HSDT trawls per season and for the coverage of one grid, it is suggested to undertake
3x2x3=18 fishing operations. Since the Indian Slope area (200-1000m depth) fall under
32 such grids, the minimum fishery operations required is 576. Of this 192 operations
were carried out during the 9th plan period (1998-2002, extended upto March 2003). The
X plan survey programs commenced only in July 2005 due to various administrative
reasons, and only 85 fishing operations will be possible by end March 2007 due to
limitations in vessel availability. The remaining 299 operations are planned to be
completed between 2007-2012.
(ii) Earlier surveys used only demersal fish trawls and no effort was made to quantify
the cephalopod and other commercially important resources in the water column. This
was mainly due to non-availability of standard Rectangular Mid water trawl. Since these
trawls have been received in 2005, this gear will be used for the mid water trawl surveys
as part of the XI plan activity on the survey of commercially important groups in the deep
and distant waters.
(iii) The resource availability at non-trawlable grounds (uneven grounds) are
proposed to be undertaken by trap fishing and pot fishing. Bottom long-lining will also be
attempted subject to availability of suitable long liners.
(iv) Survey plans for XI plan to be extended upto 1500m depths.
(v) Special efforts are necessary to quantify tuna resources and distant water
resources of the Central Indian Ocean. This would be an important work during the XI
Plan.
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The CMLRE has designed the major theme ‘Survey and assessment of deep sea
and distant water fishery resources’ after conceptualization and following detailed
discussions with the CMFRI, FSI and CIFT. Major components of the theme and
agencies involved are given below along with the estimated Budget requirements.
3.4.1.7 Semi Commercial Exploitation of Myctophid Resources of Arabian Sea
Myctophids are major resources occurring in the Deep Scattering Layers (DSL)
of world oceans. Under the MLR Scheme, preliminary studies on the DSL bio
composition and the trophic relations of DSL organisms were worked out covering the
Indian EEZ. Studies carried out by the U.S. GLOBEC (Global ocean Ecosystems
Dynamics Research) has indicated availability of around 100 millions tons of myctophid
(Benthosoma) in the Central and Western Arabian sea. Since the species have only a
short life span (less than one year) the bio mass is generated and sustained on an
annual basis. The Somalia upwelling and the Findlater’s jet perhaps play a major role in
sustaining the huge biomass in the Arabian sea. Though not preferred as an edible item
due to their high lipid content (HDL) containing esters of wax, the feasibility of utilizing
these abundantly available resource, for extraction of crude oil and preparation of animal
and aquaculture feed, need to be explored. With adequate post harvesting technologies,
it may be possible to refine and make the oil edible. If such R&D attempts are
successful, this can lead to high economic returns for the country, as the international
demand for oil with HDL is very high.
In the light of the above, semi commercial exploitation of these resources are
planned during the XI Plan period. The area of exploration will be the Central and
Western Arabian sea. FORV Sagar Sampada is planed to be utilized for these studies.
The vessel has recently been equipped with Tucker trawl, Cosmos-RMT and CIFT
designed RMT, which can be effectively used for these surveys. Acoustic estimates of
the biomass can be undertaken with the EK-60 Echo sounder on-board. The EK-60 has
38KHz ,120KHz and 200KHz transducers to support the proposed acoustic surveys.
Agencies involved, work components and estimated cost are as under;
3.4.1.8 Ecosystem Management of Living Resources including Experimental Ecosystem
Studies.
The ecosystem approach to the management of living resources is being
adopted by many countries. The classic example is the CCAMLR-Ecosystem Monitoring
Programme(CEMP) which is considered as a major success by many international
organizations. With a view to developing an ecosystem model for our waters, the MLR
scheme has been monitoring the physical and biotic components of the Indian EEZ
since 1998, through dedicated cruises of FORV Sagar Sampada. The Indian EEZ is
surveyed by covering 8 transects(16 diurnal stations and 34 routine stations) along the
west coast, 6 transects(12 diurnal stations and 20 routine stations) along the East coast
and 5 transects (31 routine stations) in the Andaman sea. In each transect, one diurnal
station is selected near the coast and another in the open ocean. Physical parameters
such as vertical temperature and salinity profiles, Dissolved oxygen, nutrients (such as
phosphate, nitrate, nitrite and silicate), current patterns etc from all the said stations
were measured following standard measurement protocols. Biotic components such as
primary productivity, chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton distribution and
abundance , zooplankton distribution etc are also measured at each station at standard
depths from surface to 1000meters. Information on coastal process including upwelling
and mud bank formation are also being gathered through sponsored projects. Based on
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these studies, the column productivity for the west coast, East coast, and Andaman
waters have been established. The role of microzooplankton in grazing has been
established with fairly good accuracy. Also, the distribution of fish eggs and larvae in the
Indian EEZ have been worked out under the ongoing scheme.
During the XI plan period, while continuing with the monitoring and survey
programs, it is also planned to utilize the available information for the development of
Ecosystem models. Development of such models integrating the primary, secondary and
tertiary production will help in adopting scientifically designed management strategies for
the living resources of our waters. Further, experimental ecosystem studies employing
controlled ecosystem experiments in areas already surveyed by Sagar Sampda during
the last two plan periods could be an important activity under this programme. The
output from this exercise is expected to offer necessary values for the variables to
construct and prepare models to estimate the trophic dynamics of the EEZ. Research
components, agencies and budget for the study are as under;
Implementing Agency : CMLRE
Financial Requirement: Rs. 97.00 crores.
2007- 2008- 2009- 2011-
Activity 08 09 10 2010-11 12 Total
Monitoring & Surveillance Of
Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)
0.90 1.35 1.13 0.68 0.45 4.51
Marine Benthos Of The Indian
EEZ
0.70 1.05 0.88 0.53 0.35 3.51
Southern Ocean Living
Resources
6.00 9.00 7.50 4.50 3.00 30
Sponsored R & D Projects
Under MLR
3.90 5.85 4.88 2.93 1.95 19.51
Survey And Assessment Of 4.00
Deep-Sea And Distant Water
Fishery Resources 0.80 1.20 1.00 0.60 0.40
Survey And Assessment Of
Deep-Sea And Distant Water
Fishery Resources
3.30 4.95 4.12 2.48 1.65 16.50
Semi Commercial Exploitation
Of Myctophid Resources Of 1.89 2.84 2.36 1.42 0.95
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Arabian Sea
9.46
Ecosystem Management Of
Living Resources Including
Experimental Ecosystem
Studies.
1.90 2.85 2.38 1.43 0.95 9.51
Total 19.39 29.09 24.25 14.57 9.7 97.00
3.4.2 Development of Potential Drugs from the Ocean
Nature has been instrumental in providing effective therapeutic entities. The
terrestrially derived therapeutics have laid the foundation of medicine. The marine
ecosystem covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface but represents 95% of the
biosphere. It is known that marine species comprise approximately a half of the total
biodiversity, thus offering a vast source for discovering useful pharmacotherapeutics.
The pharmacological exploration of the oceans seriously began over 25 years
ago with the advent of scuba diving and submersibles. The important marine derived
therapeutics include Manoalide, a non steroidal sesqueterpenoid as a potential anti-
inflammatory analgesic. Manoalide is the first inhibitor of phospholipase A2 and its
therapeutic potential is being explored in a number of disorders. An impressive
immunosuppressive agent, discodermolide is 100-1000 times more potent than
cylosporine-A. Interestingly antimalarial compound axinositrile 3 is active against
resistant strains. Also new polyesters from marine dinoflagellate demonstrated in vitro
2000 fold activity as compared to anfotericin B. Besides this a number of ion channel, G-
protein receptors agonist/antagonists have shown promising activity in certain disorders.
The National project on Development of Potential Drugs from Ocean was taken
up for implementation from 1990-91 onwards with a view to harnessing the potential
marine flora and fauna for extraction of drugs for medicinal purpose. The programme
has been successfully coordinated by Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
involving 9 other participating centers. The progress includes antidiabetic preparation of
successful completion of single dose clinical trial-phase-I in humans. Another
antidyslipidemic marine preparation has been found safe in chronic toxicity studies in
monkeys and efforts are on for filing IND to DCG(I) for obtaining permission for Phase-I
clinical trial in humans. Besides these two more marine fractions having antidiabetic cum
antidyslipidemic bioactivities have shown very good promise with wide therapeutic
window. The regulatory pharmacology studies of these have been completed and safety
toxicity studies are underway. The project has also identified six new leads in the area of
antifungal, spermicidal and antidiabetic activities for product development. Six patents
and two Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) have been filed. There has been isolation of
more than one hundred new chemical entities with novel chemical structures for
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providing insights into chemical synthesis of diverse molecules of pharmacological
interest.
A quarterly bulletin OCEAN DRUG ALERT is regularly published by CDRI
containing latest information on marine bioactivity and IPR issues. The steering
committee meetings are regularly held to review project progress.
The major objectives of the programme during the Eleventh plan will inter-alia
include:-
Exploratory work:-
• Systematic exploration of the entire coast line and collections made from
deep sea as well for identification of more flora and fauna having potential for
drugs and chemicals.
• Large-scale collection of identified active materials for characterisation
and structural determination and for follow-up studies.
• Assessment of neurotoxic potential of marine organisms vis-a-vis for
developing new pharmacological tool.
• Collection, extraction and biological evaluation of over 500 species, and
evaluation of these leading to possible development of new drug(s), particularly in
the area of anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulation.
During XI Plan the activities are proposed to be expanded in the following areas :
Introduction of new in vitro test systems, enzymes assays and receptor binding
studies which will facilitate rapid biological screening and determination of
possible mechanism of action of active compounds.
Development of new models for evaluation of anticancer, anti-inflammatory and
immunomodulatory activity of marine samples.
A herbarium museum is necessary to preserve the collected and authenticated
specimens for further records and proper identification. CDRI possess one of the
largest herbarium of terrestrial plants in India. Establishment/strengthening of
marine flora and fauna herbarium at CDRI the nodal institute, will supplement the
facilities accessible to scientists in the northern and eastern region of the country.
Establishment of Center of Excellence for drugs from Ocean.
During X Plan progress was made in development of drugs for anti-diabetic and
anti-hyper lyperlipdemic. Two more new compoiunds were also discovered for
pharmological strudies. The collection of samples, extraction and bio-evaluation
for active compounds are being carried out on continuous basis. The Minisstry
has inititated action towards involvement of industries under the Programme.
The Ministry also felt to give thrust to this programme and prepare for creating a
centre of excellence to accelerate the development work in a focused manner.
The estimated fund required for this project would be Rs.110 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
10.00 20.00 30.00 30.00 20.00 110.00
3.4.3 Assistance for Research Projects
The mankind relies on the oceans for food, transport, recreation, minerals,
energy, etc. They play an important role in the dynamics and evolution of the global
climate and biochemical cycles and are at the same time a major source and sink of
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various atmospheric trace gases and aerosols. The quality of the marine environment is
influenced by both natural processes and human activities, notably by the discharge of
emission via sewage pipelines, rivers, oil spills and by ship motor exhausts, off-shore
installations, over-exploitation of the living resources, dredging and dumping, tourism
and recreation. The ocean has a limited self-cleaning capacity, but how far can we carry
on without jeopardising our future and that of our children? Understanding the system
earth through research provides a part of the answer.
Both short-term and long-term applied and management oriented research
programmes in the ocean sector are needed to enable the planners and policy makers
to formulate the national and international policies for sustainable exploration and
exploitation of the vast ocean resources for the socio-economic benefit of the coastal
community.
Capacity Building is a basic pre-requisite for monitoring, assessment and exploitation of
the marine resources. This should include human resources development through
education, training and awareness, as well as enhancement of institutional
infrastructures through the provision of laboratory equipment and communication facility
such as inter-net connectivity, with a view to updating information and knowledge on
marine sciences.
As per the Allocation of Business Rules, policies including co-ordination, regulatory
measures and development relating to research (including fundamental research) and
the development of oceans are related to the Ministry of Ocean Development. The
Ocean Policy Statement enshrines this mandate by identifying human resource
development in scientific and technological programmes in the ocean sector.
The concept of stewardship can be fostered only through education and by increasing
awareness at all levels. In line with the objectives as envisaged in the Ocean Policy
Statement, Ministry of Ocean Development is supporting the frontline areas of research
in marine sector, right from its inception with an objective to create excellence in basic
and applied marine research and capacity building. The Ministry of Ocean Development
has been assisting the Universities to augment the existing infrastructure facilities and
building up a skilled human resource base in Ocean Science and Technology and also
supporting ocean awareness programmes, by participating in exhibitions and fairs,
sponsoring seminar, workshop, symposia, etc. The Vision Document – Perspective Plan
2015 of the Department reflects the need for initiatives to be implemented at primary,
secondary and tertiary levels to inculcate an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature
of the ocean at school, college and university levels.
One of the major priorities attached in the country today for ocean management
and development is human resource development through training, provision of
expertise, etc. The continuing Marine Research and Capacity Building programme not
only promotes basic and applied research in ocean management and development, but
also provides expertise and training in different disciplines of ocean science to the
neighbouring centres/institutes. In a number of other countries also, depending upon the
country’s need, expertise is being developed in the field of ecosystem management
particularly for protection and conservation of coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds,
pollution monitoring, integrated coastal zone management, global change, sea level
variation, air-sea interaction, marine living resources enhancement, coastal and marine
ecology, marine biology, marine geology and geophysics, marine minerals and metals,
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technology development for tapping the marine resources, underwater application and a
number of other areas of concern.
The policies and the overall direction of the programme would continue to be
guided by the National Steering Committee chaired by the Secretary, MOOD that
comprises of the Vice-Chairmen of the OSTCs, the Research Coordinators of OSTCs
and the Programme Director at MOOD Headquarters. The monitoring of the research
programmes at the individual OSTCs would be overseen by the Vice-Chairman of
respective OSTC – a Departmental nominee – through the mechanism of OSTC
Management Board (the Vice-Chancellor of the University being the Chairman of each of
these Boards) and actual implementation would rest with the Research Coordinator of
the OSTC nominated by the Institute/University.
To promote research in different fields of marine sciences and technology, being
pursued in Academic Institutions, National Research Laboratories, R&D Institutions, etc.
Under this programme funding support would continue to be provided for both basic and
applied research in Ocean Science & Technology, which are not covered under the
ongoing programme of establishment of OSTCs. The duration of each of these projects
to be sponsored by the Department would be for a minimum of 3 years with a provision
to extend the duration by one more year, with specific objectives and goals. The major
aspects to be addressed through these programmes would inter-alia include:
Global Change
Polar Science
Bioremediation
Bioactive Compounds, chemicals, toxins etc., from marine organisms
Biofouling
Biological Oceanography
Marine Botany
Marine Chemistry
Paleo-climate and Paleoceanography, etc.
Depending on the expertise available in the academic institutions, national research
laboratories, etc., inter-institutional projects will be encouraged.
3.4.3.1 Ocean Science & Technology Cells (OSTCs)
The identified areas fall under the following basic categories:
Marine Ecology
Marine Biology
Marine Microbiology
Marine Benthos
Coastal Marine Culture Systems
Marine Geology/Geophysics
Marine Placer Deposits
Ocean Engineering and Underwater Robotics
The main objective of these OSTCs is to undertake front-ranking and applied research in
the above areas with a view to provide the base for application of such results for the
benefit of mankind.
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It is proposed to continue the funding support to these OSTCs by doubling their number,
possibly upgrading one or two OSTCs into Centres of Excellence, as a means of
promoting research and development and for human resource development, particularly
in Academic Institutions.
(a) Marine Ecology:
The major areas of study would cover the ecosystem ecology of the coastal and marine
environment representing the ecology of mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass; physical
and chemical oceanography with particular reference to pollution monitoring and
bioremediation, phosphate solubilisation in marine habitats, biodegradation in marine
ecosystems, etc, covering both east and west coast including the island groups.
(b) Marine Biology:
The major areas of study under the MOOD Centre of Excellence on Marine Biology
would encompass biology of live feed organisms, eggs and larvae of fin and shell fishes,
rejuvenation of corals and mangroves, bio-indicators and sentinel organisms, biology of
potentially exploitable, endangered, threatened marine organisms, biology of coastal
toxic marine micro-algae, biology of marine ornamental fishes and micro-invertebrates of
commercial value, biology of luminescent organisms, etc.
(c) Marine Microbiology:
The main areas of study under this discipline would encompass survey of various
microbes in different coastal biotics, their role in biogeochemical, nutrient and element
cycles in sensitive ecosystems, bio-leaching of metals, bio-fouling and bio-corrosion of
marine structures, marine feed contamination and spoilage of sea feed, extraction of
bioactive compounds from marine microbes, use of micro-organisms as biosensors, etc.
In keeping with Planning Commission’s thrust in this area, the Expert Group (June 2005)
on Antarctic and Marine Microbiology recommended establishing an exclusive Antarctic
Microbial Reference Centre at NCAOR, Goa and a Marine Microbial Reference
Repository at Goa University. NCAOR, Goa would be the agency coordinating Antarctic
Microbiology programmes while the OSTC would be responsible for Marine Microbiology
supervised by a National Steering Committee for Antarctic and Marine Microbiological
Research chaired by the Secretary, MOOD. The key areas to be focussed on are
Coastal and Marine Ecosystem including microbial biodiversity & phylogeny of coastal &
marine environment, satellite based studies on microbial communities, marine
bioprospecting, marine microbial genomics, etc. and Antarctic Microbiology including
biodiversity of Antarctic microbes, bioprospecting of Antarctic microbes, molecular basis
of cold adaptation, viruses from Antarctica, etc.
(d) Marine Geology and Geophysics:
The major activities under this discipline would include coastal geomorphology oriented
towards Natural Hazard Management, creation of core repository/remote sensing
laboratory and databank for future studies; Paleo-climatic and paleo-oceanographic
studies with reference to global change and climate variability, application of RS & GIS
for CZM including coastal geomorphology and related aspects.
(e) Marine Placer Deposits:
The major activities proposed under this OSTC would cover beach placer mineral
exploration, techno-economic feasibility of their exploitation, environmental management
plan for mining and processes, development and cost effective process technology, etc.
The other activities would include establishment of data bank and database
management, human resources development through training, preparation of coastal
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maps showing the deposits, geo-morphological maps of the coastal zone, modification of
the recovery processes and economics for processing, identification of potentially rich
placer sites for environmental safe mining, etc.
(f) Marine Benthos:
The major areas of research under this OSTC would include the studies on coastal
biomass, study on benthic resources and ecology of coral islands, benthos of the deltaic
areas and establishment of a reference centre for benthic organisms.
(g) Coastal Marine Culture Systems:
The studies under this OSTC would focus mainly on breeding and culture of a number of
commercially important fin and shell fish species, nutrition and health management of
marine cultivable species: Aquaculture engineering and culture system, development of
waste water treatment methods for coastal aquaculture systems, etc.
(h) Ocean Engineering and Underwater Robotics:
The major thrust areas identified under this OSTC are design and development of
autonomous underwater vehicles, biomimetic underwater vehicles, and underwater
sensor network & signal processing. The emphasis will be laid on design, component
development and system integration for the vehicle, underwater robotic control system,
underwater image and data communication systems and integration of vision and control
systems for semi-autonomous and fully autonomous vehicle navigation and manipulation
of robots.
3.4.3.2 Manpower Development:
Manpower development is a critical area, which contributes to development of
specialised skills in ocean science and technology leading to overall development in the
region. The main objective of this programme is to create adequate expertise in various
disciplines of ocean sector for management, development, conservation and judicious
use of its resources. This is also dealt separately in this document.
It is proposed to continue the ongoing programme of award of research fellowships to
students for pursuing higher studies in academic/educational institutions, national
research laboratories, ICAR research institutes, etc., in various disciplines of ocean
science and technology.
Award of Research Fellowships
The main objective of this new programme is to upgrade the R&D structure under the
Marine Research Programmes implemented by OSTCs through provision of skilled
manpower at higher levels. For enabling a transformation in quality of research in ocean
sector, it is proposed that the present scheme of manpower development is
strengthened with enhanced allocation of fellowships under the major thrust areas. The
fellowships would cover the 9 disciplines addressed by the OSTCs. The details of such
fellowships are as under:
(i) One National Professor (Emeritus status)
(ii) Three Research Scientists
(iii) Five Research Associates
(iv) Fifteen Senior Research Fellows
(v) Thirty Junior Research Fellows
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Assistance for participation of Indian Scientists in training, workshops, seminars,
symposia, etc., abroad in frontier areas of ocean sector:
A number of scientific institutions and departments in the country are providing financial
support to the young scientists for participation in conferences, seminars, symposia, etc.,
and for undergoing training abroad in different disciplines of arts and science. Such a
facility is not available for young ocean scientists, be they from the Department or
outside it, in any of the programmes of the Government/Ministry of Ocean Development.
It is therefore, proposed that a programme for providing financial support to the young
ocean scientists from India in international training programmes and participation in
workshops, seminars, etc., abroad is introduced during the XI plan period. It is proposed
that atleast 50 young ocean scientists in a year could be identified for providing such
assistance.
The fund requirement for this programme would be Rs.137.00
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
15.40 22.40 29.40 39.40 30.40 137.00
3.4.4 Coastal Ocean monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS)
In brief the following activities will be continued on modified structure
i) Monitoring of marine pollution along the coast line at critical areas identified during
X Plan. The frequency of monitoring and other location where changes are not
visible would be decided accordingly
ii) Modeling of movement of pollutants and their fate in phased manner in all hot
spots
iii) Continuation of development of GIS based information systems for sources of
pollution
iv) Continuation of measuring organic pollutants in the sea
v) Continuation of oil spill models at selected locations using hydro dynamic and
water quality models/data.
vi) Provide advisory to Govt. industries etc. aimed at evolving pollution controlling
measures.
The estimated fund requirement in this project would be Rs.78.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
15.60 23.40 19.50 11.70 7.80 78.00
3.4.5. Ocean Awareness(Exhibition, Fairs etc)
One of the activities of the Department is to bring Ocean Awareness among sea users
for exploration, exploitation, preservation and conservation of Ocean resources; and to
educate them with recent investigations of Ocean Science and developments in
Technology that can deliver products for the benefit of social communities who mainly
depend on sea for their live-hood. The viable Research and Developmental results on
substantial utilization of ocean resources along with the latest information on
preservation of marine ecosystem are to be propagated among the sea users through
some mechanism viz seminars, symposia, exhibitions, awarding medals etc for
conserving the ocean resources. Other propagation media is by displays, special
publications such as brochures, books etc, screening suitable films on underwater
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resources in schools, collages, News papers and magazines, Television media etc;
through Lectures, Debates, Painting competitions etc in public places; by organizing
workshops in their local languages. Awareness also aimed at to attract talent through
various attractions and grooming them with better facilities to enable them to concentrate
more. The topics to be covered are the Marine Living and Non-Living Resources,
Climatologically and the dependency by people, Coastal Erosion and Ocean processes,
Antarctic Science and their related activities, Socially related activities including
preservation of Ocean Resources and safety of fishermen at Sea, Marine Pollution,
Marine eco-friendly system mechanisms, OTEC etc. The Department has so far been
participating in National and International Exhibitions including Trade Fairs and
supporting the Ocean related courses, seminars, symposia, conferences, workshops
and strengthening Museums & Planetariums with Ocean themes etc.
OBJECTIVES:
o To create awareness among public for optimal exploitation, preservation and
conservation of ocean resources.
o To support the ocean related seminars, symposia, workshops, conferences etc
for creating a platform for interaction between Scientists, Experts, General Public and
sea users to exchange knowledge and views.
o To create facilities / infrastructure for enabling the people to see the real marine
life under sea world environment.
o To propagate the messages in remote coastal villages also, for purpose to bring
awareness on Marine Ecosystem and also to create Ocean scientific knowledge among
sea users.
o To inculcate scientific temperament among children and others to enable to
attract good students towards ocean science studies.
o To create facilities to people for exposing to see real marine life in marine
environment.
o To award medals for contributors for preserving and conserving ocean
resources.
The Department has been celebrating the Ocean day on the day 27 JULY of
every year. Some notable contributors for Ocean activities have been decorated with
medals etc. Results achieved during this period are being displayed. Some
schoolchildren in Delhi have been participating in the calibrations.
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR THE XI PLAN:
Exhibitions, Fairs etc:
It is proposed :
o to prepare/ get Exhibits including LIVE MODELS etc from the respective MOOD
organisations or at Head Quarters of to have uniformity regularly by incorporating the
latest knowledge.
o to prepare/get Panels etc through modern display technology preferably in
multi-media environment and in the local language to enable the users/ Visitors to
understand better.
o to bring suitable and attractive stickers (OST messages), small diaries,
pamphlets, video films, photos etc in simple regional languages for distribution among
public including school children.
o to print booklets, banners, books on popular Ocean Science and Technology
etc in local languages for students, educated people and uneducated mass and also
distribute them through State Governments, NGOs, schools and colleges etc.
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o to develop Computer based Software Packages for “ OCEAN QUIZ” to create
enthusiasm and interest among the children, students and General Public and to award
certificates and prizes to merit students.
o to participate in selective International Exhibitions and also to organize them in
India to have exposure on WORLD ocean knowledge.
o Since State Governments would be organizing Exhibitions in some of its
important towns and cities on special occasions, it is proposed to participate in selective
exhibitions.
o to establish a permanent Exhibition Pavilion at ITPO, Pragati Maidan with the
live working models like the Desalination Plant, Ocean Information Services etc.
o to involve selective Non-Government Organisations for conducting various
activities to enable even to have door to door canvassing for the preservation of ocean
resources.
WORKSHOPS ON MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES:
o It is necessary to bring awareness on Modern Techniques and Technologies for
utilization of ocean resources among traditional and conventional users. As it is not
possible to gather them at one fully equipped center, it is proposed to go to their villages
with proper material, equipment etc to spread the message in their local Language.
It is proposed :
o to strengthen with at least 10 Mobile Vans and assign this task OSTCs, NIOT,
INCOIS, ICMAM, CMLRE, NCAOR and request to take them as part of centre’s activity.
o to strengthen the training facilities in Training Schools under Government and
NGOs for training traditional users on optimal utilization of Ocean resources, along the
coastal line.
o to organize some Training programmes through NGOs’, to helping Hands to
enable them to conserve the Ocean resources and also to enhance their earnings etc.
and to award the best organisation on Ocean’s Day function.
o to encourage some active marine fishermen Associations/ Societies for abroad
Training on conservation of Ocean Resources and for spreading the safety of fishermen
on sea and to award some medals for selective for their outstanding contributions on
Oceans Day celebrations at Delhi.
MUSEUMS AND AUGMENTING PLANETARIUMS ETC:
Department has been supporting to built infrastructure on Ocean themes in
Planetariums and running some courses and supporting Research also to generate
combined knowledge. Some museums were also funded for Ocean Flora and Fauna
displays of. It has funded Birla Planetarium, Hyderabad.
It is proposed:
o to establish permanent Museums in MOOD Organisations NIOT, INCOIS,
ICMAM, CMLRE, NCAOR including OSTCs to propagate their activities and to
popularize in their localities and Districts, and also bring the children and public even
with MOOD transportation.
o to display the collections of Marine Resources including Flora and Fauna in
museums and to award suitable prizes, certificates for active participants.
o to establish a Museum at MOOD Headquarters, Delhi.
o to keep the OST Exhibition at National Science Museum, Delhi on permanent
basis and to display MOOD Exhibitions through National Science Museum in all its
centres on rotation basis.
o to strengthen Nehru Planetarium at Teen Murthy Bhavan , Delhi.
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MARINE AQUARIA, OCEANARIA:
Number of marine species like horseshoe crabs, olive ridley turtles, few coral species of
fish etc live in the coastal and near-shore waters. The marine life in the marine
environment is to be shown to the Public to understand better. The advancement of
Submarine Structural Technology during the last few years has led to idea for
establishment for undersea observations, such as OCEANARIA MARINE AQUARIA etc.
This permits the viewers to see the living habitats of the marine animals under the
natural conditions. Some State Government have been maintaining Marine Aquaria with
few Marine Ornamental Fishes.
It is proposed :
o to set up MARINE AQUARIA, OCEANARIA in the Private Sector and to start
such activities in important cities like Madras, Bombay, Visakhapatnam, Calcutta, Goa,
Cochin, etc.
o to strengthen MARINE AQUARIA with State Governments suitably as per
understanding with respective State Governments.
o to maintain at least about 350 species of marine animals viz. sharks, turtles, rays,
colorful fishes, corals etc in various Marine Aquariums.
o to create additional infrastructure for incorporating the possible ocean awareness
programmes/ Exhibitions in these places.
OTHER PROGRAMMES:
Department has been conducting OCEAN QUIZ programmes among school
children and Public and awarding certificates, medals etc. To attract talent and grooming
them from childhood onwards it is the need to support them with attractive schemes and
programmes.
It is proposed:
o to conduct a centralized computer based quiz contest on every month and
award suitably through their schools/colleges etc.
o to encourage some outstanding students for participation in Antarctica
expedition programmes and on short cruise of MOOD Vessels.
o In order to attract the talent from early age and preparing them from primary
classes onwards, proposed to introduce at least two to three chapters on OST in
secondary and senior secondary subjects.
o to award National Scholarships for selective students from secondary and senior
secondary classes onwards till Post Graduation and the students can be selected on all
India basis through National Talent Tests and other competitive exams viz JNU entrance
test etc. Also proposed to honor merit students with certificates and medals on Ocean
Day celebration the 27 July.
o to involve the OSTCs, NIOT, INCOIS, ICMAM, CMLRE, NCAOR in this
programme to organize them as per schedule.
a. AWARD OF MEDALS FOR OST PROPAGANDA/ CONSERVATION:
Attraction could be by awarding National medals i) to outstanding students of various
classes; (ii) for best project-works at Graduate and Post Graduate students; (iii) for best
Ph.D. Thesis and research results, (iv) for works related to ocean resources
conservation for NGOs, and for awareness programmes for marine fishermen societies
etc for promotion various activities, and (v) decorating the distinguished personalities in
Ocean Science and Technology (OST):
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b. OCEAN DAY EVENTS AT OTHER PLACES:
Celebrations of Ocean Day are proposed in Academic Institutes including
Universities and Non Government Organisations who are involved in activities of Oceans
Sciences and Research, in selective colleges and schools, and Coastal States and
Union Territories of Marine Fisheries Departments.
c. DEPARTMENT VESSELS’ FOR PUBLIC VISITS:
It is proposed:
o to station the MOOD vessels near the Ports/ Harbours around July 27 for few
days for the visits of General Public including school children etc and to display OST
exhibits on board vessel.
o to notify in newspapers about the of vessels’ schedule and their visiting Timings.
SEMINARS, AND SYMPOSIA
Department provides assistance for organizing seminars, symposia, conferences
etc to various Institutions, Research Organisations, Non Government Organisations etc
for purpose to create a common platform for Scientists, Academicians, Sea users,
General Public and Marine Industries to interact with the professionals for exchanging
the information. The recommendations generated from these meets would give feedback
to formulate new programmes by MOOD for sustained Research in Ocean Sciences and
Technology Development as well to derive wider benefits to the society.
It is proposed:
o to support conferences seminars/ symposia etc in the field of OST form Head
Quarters.
o to release funds to selective schools and colleges located in coastal places to
celebrate oceans’ week around the Ocean day 27, July.
o to organize popular Lectures by Experts, Scientists, Social Scientists, retired
Academicians etc on ocean themes.
o to organize Essays writing, Debates, Drawing and Painting competitions etc in
all possible Schools, Colleges, Universities/ Institutes, just around the Ocean Day July
27 and to present suitable awards for winners. Proposed also the National awards for
students selected through these events on the Ocean Day at Delhi for their outstanding
contributions.
o to organize the workshops in local languages at various places. During this
period proposed to station MOOD Research Vessels in possible nearest Ports/ Harbours
which may be available at the time, to attract the local public including school children.
and to give wide publicity in the local languages for active participation.
o to organize some of these programmes through selective NGOs in each Coastal
States and Union Territories.
o to use Ocean Science & Technology Cells (OSTCs) of MOOD, National Institute
of Ocean Technology (NIOT), National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research
(NCAOR), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Centre for
Marine Living Resources and Environment (CMLRE), Integrated Coastal and Marine
Area Management (ICMAM) etc to organize the Exhibitions and to conduct seminar,
symposia, workshops, popular Lectures and also to finalize the list of awardees etc.
The fund requirement for this programme would be Rs. 100 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
10.00 30.00 30.00 15.00 15.00 100.00
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3.4.6 Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Programme
The Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM) programme of
MoES is engaged in the application of scientific tools and techniques to solve the
problems of coastal erosion, accretion, pollution etc prevalent along the coastal areas.
These help in integrated management of the activities in the coastal areas and ensure
their long-term sustenance. The functions of the ICMAM Project Directorate which was
formed in Sep 1997 to implement capacity building programmes to start with funding
from the World Bank, are being continued from the plan funds provided by the Ministry.
Since the activities relating to coastal zone management are long term in nature and and
having made significant progress in achieving the objectives of the above activities, it is
proposed to convert the Directorate as a permanent R & D centre of the Ministry.
The coastline of the country has been facing severe erosion in the states of
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal and in Union Territories of
Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep. Several efforts have been made
by the State Governments in protecting the coasts which have been found to be
inadequate in terms of design and execution. The major lacunae observed was lack of a
holistic approach in developing projects relating to coastal protection. Lack of thorough
investigations on the coastal processes while designing the structures led to several
cross impacts like erosion of the adjacent coasts and accretion at the nearby river
mouths. The ICMAM programme on Shoreline Management presently studied the
coastal processes through extensive modeling studies at Ennore, Munambam to
Kayamkulam, Vellar and Netharavathi estuary and predicted the likely changes of
coastline in future due to existence of ports/construction of sea wall/training jetties at
these locations. Such programmes need to be continued along the coastal areas to
identify more areas vulnerable for coastal erosion and accretion at river mouths. These
outputs are useful for development of Coastal management plans.
The projects on Ecosystem Modelling at Cochin Breakwaters and Chilka Lake
have yielded valuable information on the role of physical and chemical parameters in
governing the biological regimes. Since these exercises have been taken up in small
areas in Cochin Breakwaters and at a Macro scale in Chilka Lake, it is necessary to
expand this programme during the Eleventh Plan to cover the entire Cochin Breakwaters
and at micro scale in Chilka Lake. Since the Chilka Lake has been subjected to physical
changes due to creation of an artificial mouth, a comprehensive long-term perspective
on circulation in the lake and consequences on the chemical and biological regimes also
need to be covered under the proposed programme during the Eleventh Plan.
The Marine Ecotoxicology programme has helped in determining safe limits for
heavy metals like cadmium, mercury and copper in seawater. These limits are useful in
coastal water pollution control strategies. It is necessary to continue these activities for
determination of safe limits for other heavy metals, insecticides and phenolic compounds
that are present in the seawater.
The ICMAM Project Directorate is carrying out modelling of propagation of
tsunami waves and their inundation in the coastal areas as a part of the programme on
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Tsunami Early Warning System. This programme will be completed in the initial period
of 11th Plan. While the outputs from the programme yield the information on vulnerability
of an area, a comprehensive map indicating areas vulnerable to natural hazards, status
of pollution and safe areas for swimming etc. would help in planning preventive
measures. Such maps in the form of Coastal Risk Atlas will be prepared during 11th
Plan. Concerned coastal state agencies be trained to develop similar Atlas for other
areas in the State/UT.
The activities proposed to be carried out in detail during the 11th plan period would be
as follows:
3.4.6.1. Assessment of vulnerability due to shoreline changes
th
The 10 Plan programme on shoreline Management has helped in prediction of
coastal erosion in the coming years at Ennore, Munnambum to Kayamkulam and at
Ullal. It has also helped in the assessment of extent of accretion of sediment in the river
mouth like Vellar estuary. These information have been found to be useful in developing
suitable remedial measures which would minimize the erosion and also accretion at
respective locations.
The shoreline of the country is vulnerable to changes especially due to coastal
erosion and accretion due to natural and man-made activities. In order to assess the
vulnerability of shoreline, the Shoreline Management programme will be extended during
11th Plan period by undertaking similar investigations predicting shoreline changes in
future at selected locations along the east and west coast of the country. Few supporting
activities like software development for modelling, satellite based sea erosion watch etc
will be taken. The outcome like areas vulnerable for erosion will be useful while planning
developmental activities, human settlement in and around these areas. In other words, it
would be a valuable input to the Coastal Area Management Plans of each state.
Preparation of such plans by coastal States/UTs are mandatory under the CRZ
Notification (1991).
3.4.6.2. Determination of Waste Assimilation Capacity of coastal waters
The programme of Waste Assimilation Capacity undertaken at Ennore, Tapi and
Hooghly during the 9th Plan have helped in the assessment of the extent of assimilation
of putrified organic matter in the waters at these locations. A physical oceanography
component to study the diffusion and dispersion characteristics of pollution as a part of
the COMAPS programme is also being carried out. The coastal states have been
planning to set up industrial complexes along the coastal areas of the country and also
expanding suburban areas, however, without any prior assessment of the extent of
assimilative capacity of coastal waters for the sewage, chemicals and other substances
that will be released into the coastal waters. Further there is no cumulative assessment
on adverse impact of waste on water quality when more and more industries that
dispose waste into the coastal waters are added during the course of time. Such lack of
understanding of long-term adverse impact of degradation of coastal waters for chemical
elements lead to severe reduction in biodiversity. In order to predict the pollution
scenarios of existing waste disposal locations and to help the coastal states to decide
addition of more industries, it is proposed to conduct waste assimilative capacity of
coastal waters of selected locations during the 11th Plan period. The objectives of the
physical oceanographic component of COMAPS programme will also be accommodated
under this study. Wherever, the project sites of shoreline changes and the waste
assimilative capacity areas are common, an integrated coastal area management plan
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will be recommended with appropriate planning strategies for location of ports,
industries, human settlement and beach tourism development.
3.4.6.3. Storm Surge Inundation Modelling
During the 10th Plan period, modeling and inundation of tsunami waves and
storm surges have been undertaken. Preparation of vulnerability maps for tsunamis and
storm surges are also being carried out under this component. For this purpose,
software like Tsunami N2 for tsunami and Mike 21 coupled with ADCIRC model for
storm surges are being used. These activities will be continued during the 11th Plan
period. However, the storm surge models are provided without source code. Due to
limited time available to produce the vulnerable maps based on inundation of seawater
due to tsunami and storm surges and also development of models would take long time,
the above models developed elsewhere are being used. Since these models, especially
the one used for inundation of seawater during storm surge is not perfectly amenable for
different types of inland water bodies where impact of storm surges during some
occasions are significant. Therefore, it is proposed to develop an in-house inundation
model for storm surges. This would increase the flexibility of using the model for coastal
areas having different geomorphology. This would also improve in prediction of
inundation of seawater during storm surges and will also help in updating the storm
surge inundation maps in the coming years.
3.4.6.4. Ecosystem Modelling
This is an ongoing project conceived in the 10th plan for ecosystem modeling at
Kochi backwaters and modeling of Chilka lagoon with the prime intention of assessing
progress towards management objectives and to update decisions on modification of
management actions over time in response to system change.
The strategy proposed aims at obtaining insights in the evolution of the lagoon by
looking into and comparing historical data (time scale) with recent remote sensing and
ground truth information. The approach, which is multidisciplinary, brings together
expertise in the fields of marine ecology, marine chemistry, hydrographic and physical
oceanography, vegetation science, remote sensing and mathematical modeling not only
aimed at improving our knowledge about the lagoon environment but also frame a
scheme for such ecosystem based studies to develop the model.
In view of moderate to significant inter-annual variability of system responses, in
a small area, the modelling is proposed to be expanded for the entire habitats. The gaps
observed in the current studies will be filled from the extension of this study. In-situ
experiments are proposed to study the response of phyto and zooplankton, benthic
fluxes, growth and grazing efficiencies of the system at spatial scales and temporal
scales. Catchment loads will be computed using some established terrain models which
can be used to calibrate the already generated model. Similar ecosystem modeling
would be undertaken for Sunderbans area also.
3.4.6.5 Marine Ecotoxicology
All over the World, a large number of people live close to the sea coast and make
their living from the coastal resources. In all the maritime States of India, coastal and
marine ecosystems have been considered as reservoirs of productivity and a massive
sink with unlimited capacity to assimilate wastes. The increasing coastal population over
the years, associated with the establishment of industries, maintenance of harbours and
waterways, growing tourism and multiple uses of coastal land have been the causes for
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pollution of coastal waters. Pollutants from both point and non-point sources enter
through receiving water bodies and affect the marine biota through food chain.
One of the basic needs to minimise the effect of pollutants on marine organisms
is to prescribe the safe limits of chemicals for survival of organisms, since water quality
is very important for the survival and well being of living resources in coastal and marine
environment. Since most of the contaminants affect the productivity of the ecosystem
through food chain, the levels at which the most common pollutants affect these
organisms need to be established through ecotoxicology studies. By comparing the
levels of these common pollutants, the habitat quality of the ecosystem could be
evaluated for their capacity to sustain their productivity. Impacts on marine organisms
initially are at the molecular and cellular levels and subsequently at a higher level of
biological organization. Some toxicants can cause acute effects and others produce
chronic effects. Most of the toxicants affect the metabolism of marine organisms, which
will ultimately lead to their mortality. The effects would be greater on larval and juvenile
stages. Bioassay tests can be employed for assessing the environmental impact on
toxicants alone, mixtures of toxicants, and in combination of temperature, pH, salinity
and alkalinity, etc., simulating near field/habitat conditions. The Median Lethal
Concentration of pollutants which is commonly referred as LC50 and chronic toxicity
values are used to find out the safe limits in the form of water quality guidelines. While
the LC50 values are determined through short-term of exposure of animals to toxicants
say 96 hrs, the chronic toxicity values are based on long term exposures say about 30
days or until the life cycle of organisms for e.g. marine larvae.
With this background, the Marine Ecotoxicology programme was launched during
10th Plan period and MOOD has established necessary infrastructure for
implementation. Under this programme, the sub-projects viz., (a) Determination of water
quality criteria for coral reef ecosystem of Gulf of Mannar and (b) Coastal waters of
Chennai and Pulicat lake are being implemented to determine the seawater quality
criteria and c) Biochemical assessment of impact of toxic/other chemical. The standards
would be prescribed for the respective ecosystems. Hence it is proposed to continue the
marine Ecotoxicology programme along with these projects to determine the toxic effects
of chemicals which were found to be high in the coastal environment and also their
demand and consumption will be identified for conduct toxicity studies to derive
seawater quality criteria.
During the 11th Plan period, the bioassay experiments will be continued with the
addition of heavy metals such as chromium, zinc etc and organic compounds such as
phenolic compounds, that are present in seawater. The Continuous Flow through
method will be followed for determination of (LC50) and sub-lethal chronic effects and
histopathology and biochemical analyses will also be studied as supportive evidence
showing the biomarker changes at cellular levels.
3.4.6.6 Web GIS Based Coastal Risk Atlas
Coastal hazards refer to both natural and man made events along coastlines that
have the potential of damaging life, property and the environment. India, with her vast
coastline, is often struck by natural events like cyclones crossing from land to sea and
the resultant coastal storm surges. The recent tsunami in Indian Ocean has forcefully
added a new dimension to the natural calamities affecting India. Increasing marine traffic
in this region also increases the threat of oil spill and Coastal erosion is a coastal hazard
that is both natural and man-made and is definitely a destructive force to be reckoned
with. The magnitude of the impact of one of the hazards depends on two parameters:
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the impact per unit time and the duration of the hazard. While a tsunami may catch
public attention because of its high impact per unit time, coastal pollution may be equally
hazardous in the long run because of increase in diseases due to pollution of coastal
waters.
The tsunami that hit the coastal and island regions of India on 26 December
2004 has brought into focus the gaping hole that has to be filled up to be able to be
better prepared for such events. Preparedness for such hazards depends on: (1)
awareness of the hazards (2) appreciation of the vulnerability to the hazard; (3) ability to
predict the hazard either by deterministic or stochastic means; (4) readiness of a
community to respond; and (5) level of education about the hazards in the coastal
community.
Efforts to mitigate the effects of coastal hazards can be complicated by
insufficient information concerning coastal vulnerability. Vulnerability factors include the
nature of the coast, nature of nearshore bathymetry and swell currents for safe
swimming the patterns and characteristics of the built environment, and socioeconomic
conditions. Providing a better understanding of these factors to allow communities to
undertake the most appropriate mitigation strategies / safe beach tourism provides the
rational for developing the Coastal Risk Atlas (CRA) and for wider access it is proposed
to deliver it on-line as WEBGIS based Coastal risk atlas. Though this concept is
relatively new in our country, CRA are available for Mississippi Gulf Coast and Northeast
Florida in the U.S Coast.
In the proposed map, the seawater inundation maps prepared under the
programme on modelling and mapping of coastal hazards such as storm surge and
tsunami will be used to indicate the extent of vulnerability. Data on pollution levels will be
obtained from COMAPS programme and bathymetry data from NHO charts. The socio-
economic data will be collected / obtained.
CRA will be made available to users through the ICMAM website at
www.icmam.gov.in. It will be served using ESRI’s Internet Map Server (ArcIMS), which
permits viewing the source data and layers generated for the vulnerability assessment
using only a web browser. The map layers may also be downloaded directly through the
website for use in a GIS. The data made available for download will be served from a
database resident at the ICMAM-PD. The goal is to provide a single source for data and
information related to coastal hazards and vulnerability.
Though the work will have to be done for the entire coastline the study will be
initially taken up for the selected coastal region representing each Coastal State / UT
vulnerable regions to coastal hazards and other details specified as above. The areas
will be prioritized on the basis of request and their close participation by the State
Government. This phased approach enables identification and resolution of technical
issues, better identification of necessary data, and determining data inadequacies that
could drive future data collection and coastal research initiatives. The Coastal States
/UTs will be trained to prepare similar atlas for other areas of the State / UT.
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Financial Summary
(Rs. in crores)
S.No. Projects 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12
1. Vulnerability to 5.00 10.00 15.00 10.00 10.00 50.00
Shoreline changes,
Waste Assimilation
Capacity &
Inundation
Modelling
2. Ecosystem 1.00 1.50 1.75 1.75 2.00 8.00
Modelling
3. Marine 0.60 0.90 0.75 0.45 0.30 3.00
Ecotoxicology
4. Coastal Risk Atlas 0.40 0.40 0.20 0 0 1.00
TOTAL 7.00 12.80 17.70 12.20 12.30 62.00
3.4.7 Marine Non-Living Resources
3.4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt Crust Exploration
Ferromanganese encrustations (Fe-Mn Crust) containing on an average >1% of cobalt
metal can be designated as cobalt-crust. Cobalt-crusts accrete at shallow water depth
(generally <2500 m) as slabs capping the seamounts. They are 3-6 times more enriched
in Cobalt metal than the abyssal polymetallic nodules and deep-water crusts.
Ferromanganese crusts are hydrogenous colloidal precipitates (Hein et al., 1992), which
are known to record oceanographic conditions contemporaneous to their growth period
(Banakar and Borole, 1991; Banakar and Hein, 2000; Banakar et al., 1997 and
references therein). It is also worth noting here that the Co-rich crusts do concentrate
platinum (up to 2.5 ppm; Hein et al. 1992) than the deep-water Fe-Mn nodules.
Therefore, the seamount ferromanganese crusts have attracted the attention of mineral
explorers.
Exploring for new mineral deposits generally depends on its utility, cost, and availability
on the land. As far as India is concerned, no workable land deposits of cobalt have been
located. Although India produced over 500 tonnes of Co during 2004 (www.thecdi.com),
this production of metal is from imported scrap and by product residue concentrates, and
hence cannot be considered as our own naturally occurring resources. Thus the Co
metal appears to be of strategic importance to our country. It may be essential for our
country to know about the possibility of occurrence of cobalt enriched offshore natural
resources. A rough estimate suggested that seamount crusts and deep-sea nodules in
Pacific alone contain around 5 million tonnes of Co metal. Thus seamount Fe-Mn crusts
obviously are going to be the next targets for this metal if the world demand increases
due to its increasing industrial application.
In view of its industrial importance, the preliminary exploration for cobalt-enriched
seamount ferromanganese crusts was launched during the X-Plan, and here we propose
to extend the work into XI-Plan Period also. This extension would generate important
data to understand the areas of occurrences of Co-deposits in our marine regime and
the significance of their occurrence to the oceanographic science. It may also be
possible that the generated data on Co-resource would help the Ministry of Ocean
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Development to decide on a possible claim for a cobalt-resource site in international
waters.
ACHIEVEMENTS DURING PHASE-I OF X PLAN
a) Detailed study on extensive occurrence of Fe-Mn crust deposits in the ANS
region. A rough estimate indicated 0.4 million tonnes of Co-metal in survey area.
b) Recovery of Fe-Mn crusts from Lakshadweep Sea and Laxmi basin seamounts,
which are within our waters.
c) Generating first multibeam bathymetry map of the part of the northern-ANS
region.
d) Productivity, nutrients, suspended matter, biomarker analysis, microbial activity
data generated for the ANS region as part of the water column studies.
PROPOSED PLAN OF WORK FOR XI-FIVE YEAR PLAN PERIOD (2007-2012)
It is proposed to explore the entire Afanasiy-Nikitin Seamount (ANS) region for
the occurrence of cobalt-enriched crusts. This region occupies ~60000 sq. km. area on
the seafloor. Exploring the entire ANS region forms the primary part of the plan. In
addition, there are several submarine topographic features in the vicinity of- and within-
the EEZ of India, which probably host cobalt enriched crusts, as indicated by very
preliminary sampling. Our single station sampling in Laxmi Basin Seamount region in
fact has yielded samples from one seamount, where the Co-content is ~0.5 %. This
sample is from the basal slope, and hence there is a possibility of higher enrichment in
the upslope regions.
It is also proposed to generate simultaneously information on the baseline environment
in all the regions to be explored. These data would include, dissolved oxygen profiles,
surface productivity, suspended matter, microbial inventory, nutrient and lipid
distribution, temperature and salinity profiles, benthic organisms, current patterns etc.
EXPECTED OUTPUT
a) First complete multibeam bathymetric map of the Afanasiy-Nikitin Seamount
region.
b) Identification of regions hosting the cobalt-enriched crusts in the ANS region, and
Northern Indian Ocean, and the Central Indian Ocean.
c) Preliminary estimation of Cobalt-crust and hydrothermal sulfides deposits in
those study regions.
d) Generating baseline environment data for the seamount regions hosting Cobalt-
enriched crusts and hydrothermal sulfides. The data would include, vertical distribution
of nutrients, dissolved oxygen, suspended matter, biomarkers, surface productivity,
current patterns, temperature-salinity profiles, organic-flux, microbial activity etc.
e) Preliminary characterization of cobalt crust, hydrothermal sulfides & conceptual
plan sheet with laboratory test results.
f) Addition of scientific understanding such as genetic aspects of the cobalt-
enriched crusts and hydrothermal sulfides, paleoceanographic reconstructions,
biogeochemical aspects of the water column, microbial community inherent to cobalt-
crusts etc.
g) Preparation of document to claim sites for the cobalt crust exploration and
hydrothermal sulfides and developmental activities.
The output depends upon the availability of ship time throughout the XI-Five Year Plan
at regular intervals.
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The estimated cost requirement for this project would be Rs. 50.00 crores
2010- 2011- TOTAL
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 11 12
4.00 8.00 20.00 9.00 9.00 50.00
3.4.7.2 Geological and Tectonic Evolution of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal Sectors
Background: As the first major step in India’s endeavors in laying claims to an extended
continental shelf as per the provisions of UNCLOS 1982, the National Centre for
Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) on behalf of the Ministry of Ocean
Development (MOOD) initiated a comprehensive multi-institutional work programme of
marine geophysical surveys (“LCS surveys”) in and off India’s EEZ during 2002-04. The
data acquisition work undertaken with the active participation and the direct supervision
of scientists from some of the leading national geoscientific organizations and institutions
comprised nearly 28,000 lkm. of multi-channel seismic (MCS) reflection, gravity and
magnetic data profiling. In addition, 72 Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) were
successfully deployed along some of the critical seismic sections to constrain the MCS
velocities as well as to develop a crustal model of the study area. Considering the
enormous amount of invaluable scientific data sought to be collected, the data
acquisition programme was planned in such a way that the data collected would not only
substantiate the country’s claims for an extended shelf, but will also form a corner stone
for India’s future endeavors in the marine domain.
Complementing the above programme was another major multi-institutional endeavor of
gathering critical marine geophysical data from the Laxmi Basin- Ridge areas off the
western offshore aimed at deciphering the type and nature of the crust flooring the ridge
and the basin. This data acquisition programme which was undertaken concurrently
with the LCS surveys, comprised 3600 kms. of seismic reflection, gravity and magnetic
profiling in addition to 18 OBS deployments. The post-processing and interpretation of
the data collected under the two programmes have been undertaken at NCAOR, NGRI
and NIO and currently the documentation work is in progress. The initial scientific
document of the LCS work programme is proposed to be submitted to the Department
by December 2005, while the final report of the Laxmi basin studies is scheduled to be
submitted by March 2006.
As the nodal agency responsible for the implementation of both the programmes,
NCAOR has already created at the Centre state-of-the-art archival and retrieval facilities
for all the raw and processed data gathered during the surveys as well as for the results
generated during the interpretation work in the different institutions. Considering the
sensitive nature of the LCS Programme, the entire data set is being treated as Classified
till such a time India’s claims are submitted to the UN and are accepted.
Against the above background and in the context of the exercise of planning for the XI
five year plan, a brain storming session was organized in September 22005 under the
auspices of NCAOR and MOOD to crystallize ideas on the marine geoscientific
programmes that could be implemented by the MOOD in and off Indian EEZ as major
multi-institutional initiatives during the XI plan period.
Based on the deliberations at the brain storming it was decided that the major thrust
area of marine geophysical studies during the XI plan period should be a comprehensive
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evaluation of the geological and structural evolution of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal sectors of the northern and north-western Indian Ocean. However, since this
would necessarily call for extensive use of the LCS data and its objective - oriented
reprocessing, the studies can be implemented in their entirety only after the LCS claims
are made and accepted. Despite this apparent difficulty, with the background scientific
knowledge and the expertise developed in the course of the LCS work, it may be
possible to develop the programme during the XI Plan period itself by initiating such
studies (see below) which may call for only selective use of the LCS data and which at
the same time would help substantiate the country’s shelf claims.
The following aspects which constitute some of the vital elements of a comprehensive
study of the geological and structural evolution of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
sectors are being proposed during the XI Plan period:
1. The study of the Gulf of Mannar – its origin, whether it is a simple pull-apart basin
or a nascent ocean developing as Sri Lanka is drifting away.
2. Delineation of the continental/ oceanic crust boundary on the Indian plate, both
off the Western and Eastern offshore.
3. Structural evaluation of the 850 Ridge.
4. Offshore extension of the Deccan Volcanics.
5. Formation of Chagos-Laccadive Ridge as a consequence of reunion hot spot
trail.
6. Imprint and implications of hot spots on the Indian continental margin.
7. Structural highs and gravity lows in the Bay of Bengal – the reasons for their
association.
8. Fan sediment development vis-à-vis Himalayan orogeny.
9. Geophysical studies of the tsunami generating areas off the Western Andamans.
Each of the above objectives constitutes an independent work programme by itself.
However, considering the linkages of these objectives to the LCS work programme and
the fact that together they contribute to a holistic assessment of the evolution of the
northern and north-western Indian Ocean, it is proposed to consider the entire work
programme as one entity with different distinct domains of work.
The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal basins are the two oceanic domains extending
the Indian passive margin. Despite sustained efforts by scientists from several of the
leading national and international geoscientific organizations, a coherent picture of the
sequence of geological and tectonic events leading to the development of these ocean
basins characterized by many prominent seabed and sub-seabed structural elements is
as yet to emerge. All of the studies enumerated under the proposed objectives of the
programme continue to be topics of intense academic debate. Partly this is on account
of the highly complex tectonics of the area. But more significant is the paucity of high
resolution geophysical data from these regions. Barring some studies undertaken on
poorly-constrained single-channel seismic reflection and sonobuoy data collected during
the eighties and early nineties, most of the interpretative works of relevance from a
scientific point of view have been carried out on the gravity and magnetic data collected
from these areas. The first major effort at a systematic collection of seismic reflection,
refraction, magnetic and gravity data deploying state-of-the-art techniques and
instrumentation and encompassing most of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the
western Andamans has been made only as a part of the LCS work programme.
Considering the cost-intensive nature of marine geophysical data acquisition, the data
acquisition during the LCS surveys was planned in such a way that the data collected
would not only substantiate the country’s claims for an extended legal shelf, but would
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also constitute the nucleus for future marine geoscientific studies. A systematic and
properly planned integrated effort at understanding several of the scientific questions
pertaining to the geological evolution of the Indian offshore realm is of paramount
importance not only from an academic point of view, but is also critical in an evaluation
of offshore mineral resources.
The proposed studies have two other important aspects:
• A proper delineation of the continental/oceanic crust boundary could be vital in
the context of the possibility of a geological (non-bathymetric) delineation of the foot of
the continental slope (FoS) as being more advantageous to demarcating the outer limits
of the continental shelf than a bathymetrically-definable FoS. A typical instance is
afforded by the studies on the nature of the crust flooring the Laxmi Basin, which
indicate that the continental-ocean transition (and hence the FoS) is further offshore than
the bathymetrically-defined foot.
• It has been established that seaward-dipping reflections identified on
multichannel seismic reflection data from many passive continental margins consist of
vast subaerial outpourings of lavas rapidly emplaced during the time of final continental
separation and the initial formation of ocean basins. The presence of such SDRs on
some of the seismic sections off the Western offshore raises the possibility of the
“basement” identified in these areas being a seismic expression of the offshore
extension of the Deccan volcanics. If so, this could be indicative of the presence of
syn/pre-Deccan sedimentary rocks below the identified (acoustic) basement-vital for
LCS purposes.
Marine geological/geophysical studies of both volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins
concentrating on their evolution, mantle dynamics and lithosphere recycling, large-scale
magmatism associated with continental rifting and its influence on the environment, the
coupling between solid-earth processes and their influence on surface processes
including sedimentation, drainage patterns and fluid flow, the processes controlling
temporal and spatial variability of rifting, and how rifting ultimately transitions to seafloor
spreading, the relationship between rifting and sedimentary basin development, the
influence/imprints of hot spots on the formation of LIPs such as the Deccan volcanics
etc. are among the thrust areas of current intense scientific research the world-over
(e.g.www.largeigneousprovinces.org,www.margins.wustl.edu, www.ldeo.columbia.edu/
margins, www.mantleplumes.org, Crustal processes Group at Southampton). The
Indian passive margin is among the least understood compared to the extensive work
carried out in the U.S. East Coast passive margin, Western Equatorial Atlantic,
Mozambique Basin, Scandinavian Atlantic Passive margin etc.
Considering that NCAOR as the nodal agency for the implementation of the LCS
Progress is the archival centre for the entire marine geophysical data gathered in
fulfillment of the Progarmme, the proposed studies would be undertaken at NCAOR.
This would also help ensure the Confidentiality of the data gathered for the LCS
purposes. It is also proposed to develop a core group comprising scientists from
NCAOR, NIO and NGRI to undertake selective re-processing of the data to meet the
various objectives of the envisaged studies. No results from the studies which might
prove to be disadvantageous to the country’s endeavors in laying claims to an extended
shelf would be published till such a time the LCS claims are made by India and are
accepted.
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In addition, it is proposed to collect swath bathymetric, gravity and magnetic data along
certain critical areas, as for instance in the Gulf of Mannar, south-west coast of India and
western Andamans, and dredging along some of the bathymetric highs and seamounts
to address some of the objectives of the planned studies. This data acquisition would be
undertaken on board ORV Sagar Kanya. It is also planned to request for hard-rock
samples from the Ninety East Ridge and Laccadive areas available with the DSDP/ODP
core repository for geochemical and petrographic studies. Selective sampling of onland
Deccan volcanics and the Rajmahal Traps are also being proposed. Once all the
enumerated objectives are fulfilled, it is proposed to undertake a holistic assessment of
the geological and tectonic evolution of the two ocean basins.
The estimated fund requirement is Rs.30.0 crores.
2010- 2011- TOTAL
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 11 12
2.00 9.50 9.50 4.50 4.50 30.00
3.4.7.3 Studies on Hydrothermal Sulfides
Although submarine hydrothermal activity and mineralization have not been well
documented at many locations in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, even less is known of
their occurrence in the Indian Ocean. Originally, the Indian Ocean ridges were
considered to represent less favourable targets for exploration because of the low to
medium spreading rates, although this view has changed with the discovery of massive
sulphide and vent biota in the TAG area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1985. During a
series of GEMINO cruises by R.V. Sonne, a hydrothermal field was discovered on the
Central Indian Ridge about 200 km NW of the Rodriguez Triple Junction. This led to
new discovery of marine sulfide in this area in 1993 Dee by P. Halbad group.
One group that is potentially prospective for hydrothermal mineralization is the
Andaman Sea (Roonwal, 1994). Already, anomalous concentrations of Cu (upto 500
ppm), Zn (upto 500 ppm) and Pb (900 ppm) have been reported in the coarse fraction
(800 mesh) of clay sediments taken at c. 1500 m along the toe of a submarine valley 12
km west of Narcondam Island.
The work would consist of undertaking research cruises in the Andaman Sea and
study the minerlisation of hydrothermal sulfides and estimate the resource potential in
the region.
The estimated fund requirement is Rs.10.0 crores.
2010- 2011- TOTAL
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 11 12
1.00 4.50 2.50 1.00 1.00 10.00
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3.5 Information Technology
Considering the need for the upcoming and cutting edge technologies for integration in
the implementation of various programmes, a separate budget provision has been kept
in the XI plan period.
Financial requirement Rs. 20.00 crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 20.00
3.6 Coastal Research Vessels and Other Research Vessels
In order to overcome the shortcomings, the MoOD has acquired two Coastal Research
Vessels namely Sagar Purvi and Sagar Paschimi in 1996. The vessels would continue to
be operated by NIOT with additional instrumentation required from time to time to support
COMAPS and ICMAM programmes. The budget requirement for running vessel during XI
Plan of Rs. 200.96 crores is provided in NIOT budget as follows:
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
51.05 11.44 12.16 62.70 63.61
The cost of 200.96 is inclusive of running of CRVS, BTV Manjusha and replacement of
CRV and the phasing of the replacement (102 cr) for Monitoring of oil pollution along the
international tanker route especially around the islands. to be put under the 4th year of
plan.
At present the levels of pollutants along the coastal waters of the islands of
Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar are being monitored in one or two islands only
due to lack of research vessel facilities. As the Lakshadweep and Nicobar group of
islands are situated close to the international oil tanker route, it is imperative to monitor
the levels of oil pollution on a continuous basis. The present coastal research vessels of
MOOD, namely, Sagar Purvi and Sagar Paschimi are small vessels and have low
endurance. Since the survey of the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands
would take at least 15 days for each island group, it is essential to have a dedicated
ocean going research vessel for this purpose. As the two CRVs are likely to reach a
stage of replacement at the end of XI Plan, one of the vessels will be replaced with a
Ocean going vessel. Therefore, it is proposed to acquire a new research vessel of 65 to
70 m long with an endurance of 20 days.
3.7. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is involved in developing technologies for
ocean related areas. The main areas of interest are Energy and Fresh water from sea,
Deep Sea Mining, Coastal and Environmental Engineering, Marine Instrumentation,
Ocean Science & Technology for islands, ROSUB and Gas Hydrates, ARGO floats. The
Institute also has the Vessel Management Cell and National Data Buoy Programme.
During the XI plan period these areas will continue with new prospects. In addition to
these, new technology development areas such as Ocean Acoustics, off shore
structures, marine sensors and electronics, mechanical design of underwater
components will be taken up. New laboratory and field facilities are also being planned.
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A new campus is also being proposed on the sea front. This sea front facility will house
laboratories and aid in carrying out field experimentation.
This document summarises all technology development activities proposed to be taken
up during XI five-year plan period enumerating the objectives, time frame and budget.
The details of the financial requirement for programmes implemented by NIOT are
provided against the respective programmes.
3.7.1 Energy and Fresh Water from Sea
The main focus of this programme is to develop technologies for tapping renewable
energies from the ocean. Research on caisson type fixed Wave Power plants has been
completed and it has been proved that floating Wave Powered devices would be more
cost effective with smaller power ratings. A small rating Backward Bent Ducted Buoy
was studied in the X plan and larger Floating Wave Powered devices will be taken up.
NIOT has already demonstrated a desalination plant at Kavaratti Island with the capacity
of 1 lakh litre per day and also 1 million litre per day barge mounted LTTD plant was
successfully commissioned. While most of the work pertaining to the setting up of 10
MLD desalination plant will be completed, its commissioning may spill over to XI plan
period. This technology has advantages over conventional technologies like reverse
osmosis such as easy operation and maintenance, low scaling, fouling etc. In the
process of utilizing the deep-sea water for desalination, air-conditioning and aqua culture
are also envisaged. The cold water drawn may also be utilized for production of Lithium
and hydrogen.
It is also intended to establish a facility to meet the requirements of the fabrication and
machining works for the above mentioned projects. For smaller islands large-scale
desalination plants are not really required and hence a small solar desalination using
multi effect humidification may be preferred by avoiding the task of using deep-sea cold
water for condensation. Equally an integrated facility has been intended i) to
demonstrate and compare desalination plants with various capacities with optimum yield
and to test & evaluate the heat exchangers for various desalination plants. Thus theXI
plan envisages that NIOT will have all the facilities for designing, testing and evaluating
the various technologies for obtaining energy and freshwater from the ocean.
Objectives
• To install a floating Wave powered device to power a small rated Reverse Osmosis
plant to generate fresh water
• To establish a technology for development of technology for the recovery of
Hydrogen and Lithium from sea water
• To establish a facility to demonstrate and compare desalination plants with various
capacities with optimum yield conditions. Generation of experimental data for
suitable adoption to exploit commercially the desalination technology utilizing low-
grade heat and ocean temperature difference.
• To establish a facility to develop and demonstrate the extraction of renewable
energies from the Ocean. Generation of experimental data, for suitable adoption to
exploit commercially the extraction of renewable energies.
• To establish a facility to test and evaluate the heat exchangers used for various
desalination applications.
• To establish a facility to meet the requirements of the fabrication and machining
facilities and material handling requirements in offshore and on the shore
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Projects
• Commissioning of 10 MLD desalination plant
• Solar desalination using multi-effect humidification
• Floating wave powered device
• Recovery of Hydrogen and extraction of rare metals (Lithium) from sea water
• Integrated facility for desalination technology development
• Establishment of machine shop and material handling facility
Budget: Rs. 15.89 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
2.00 4.00 5.00 3.00 1.89
3.7.2 Deep Sea Mining
NIOT has been given the task of developing technology to mine Manganese nodules
from a depth of 6000 m. As part of this programme an underwater crawler available with
Institüt for Konstruktion (IKS), University of Siegen, Germany, has been refurbished and
various tests have been conducted successfully. The latest test incorporating the
locomotion and slurry pumping at a depth of 451 meters was done in the Arabian Sea off
Goa. The next phase of the project involves development of Collector and Crusher
system for mining Polymetallic Nodules from the sea floor and its qualification at 500 m
water depth by laying artificial nodules. An insitu subsea soil tester is being developed
for precise measurement of soil strength to design and develop the future deep sea
mining machine.
It is also proposed to develop manned submersible. The primary advantage of the
manned submersible is that it permits the trained mind and eye to work in situ at great
depths of the sea. Presently, manned submersibles are used extensively by the offshore
oil companies in support of survey, drilling and production operations. The possibility of
nuclear power source would also be explored. Semi submersible platforms are also to
be developed for the support of the crawler and for long term commercial mining, with all
facilities for the launching, retrieval, and operation of crawler. Infrastructural facilities for
development and testing of deep sea systems is also highly essential for the smooth and
safe execution of the projects.
Objectives
• Design and development of a new crawler based mining machine capable of
collecting and pumping nodules from 6000 m water depth.
• Development of a flexible riser system for transporting nodules from the ocean floor
to the mother ship / barge.
• Detailed survey at the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) to assess soil property.
Micro level demarcation of the mine site will be carried out to isolate sites of very low
soil strength properties to avoid sinkage of crawler in to sea floor.
• Studies in areas such as material under high pressure and low temperature condition
for long-term operations, Sub-sea control systems and Acoustic Positioning and
imaging systems
• Development of manned submersible capable of operation at 6000 m water depth
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• To develop a small semi submersible platform that will be used for the Launching
and Retrieval of mining system.
Budget : Rs. 610 crores
Yearwise Break up Estimate
S.No. Title
d cost in
07- 08-09 09-10 10 11-12 crores of
08 - Rupees
11
1. Integrated Deep Sea Mining
System for 6000 m 10 70 60 40 55 235*
2. Soil Testing in the Central
Indian Ocean Basin 10 10 10 10 10 50
3. Inter Institutional (R&D) & In
house Development 12 16 18 16 13 75
4. Development of Small Semi
Submersible Floating Station 0 0 35 50 65 150*
5. Development of manned
Submersible capable of 10 80 50 50 35 225*
operation at 6000 m water
depth
6. 4 5 4 3 1 17*
Offshore operations
Total 752*
* Total of Rs. 627crores budgeted under PMN programme and rest Rs 125 crores (item
2 and 3) to be met from institute funds
3.7.3 Coastal and Environmental Engineering
This group focuses on development of capacities in areas required to sustainably
develop coastal areas in line with the economic requirements of the nation. Reference
material for such development in most coastal stretches are targeted in the XI- plan
proposals.
Objectives
• To enable site characterisation for marine infrastructure development.
• To link the model of real time data collected by various proposed MoOD monitoring
system such as weather monitoring stations, HF radars and data buoys.
• To develop substantial capabilities in marine survey that allow rapid scanning of the
seafloor and sub seabed.
Projects
• Demonstration of Coastal Protection Measures
• Technical Criteria Atlas
• Sediment transport atlas for east and west coast of India
• National Oil Spill Modeling and Prediction System
• Creation of technology for Marine Archaeology
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• Monitoring and Modeling of Thermal and Desalination effluents
• Kinetic rate coefficient estimation for mathematical models
Budget : Rs. 225 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
40.0 60.0 60.0 40.0 25.0
3.7.4 Marine Instrumentation, marine sensors and ocean acoustics
This group focuses on engineering and technological skills to design and develop
different types of marine instruments and accessories that are necessary / useful for
observation, survey, communication and deep water applications.
This group also plans to develop Underwater Electronics Support Facility, underwater
electronics development component and development of autonomous surface vehicle.
Objectives
• In-house development of sea Glider System (SGS)
• Fabrication of 5 Benthic station and establishing a network with real time data
transmission to shore station-using surface buoy
• Establishment of a comprehensive tide gauge & automatic weather station
networking program along Indian coast.
• To explore techniques for Acoustic communication for point-to-point
communications in vertical deepwater channels
• Development and deployment of automated noise measurement system at
different locations in shallow waters
• Development of automated measurement systems consisting of vertical array of
hydrophones
• Application of waveler transform for identifying tonal/ transients in an ambient
noise data, particularly by marine organisms.
• To design and develop the multi function data acquisition and control system
qualified for marine environment.
• To establish a facility of excellence to provide electronics support to various
activities and projects of NIOT
• To create infrastructure for reducing the development time and facilitate rapid
prototyping
• To develop specialized non-off-the-shelf components (in Indian markets) for
underwater applications in association with industry.
• To develop small size, low weight acoustic and magnetic sensors , sensor
technologies etc
• To develop infrastructure to study ocean acoustics.
• To develop technologies using theories of underwater acoustics for various
engineering applications.
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Projects
• Development of Sea Glider System (SGS)
• Development of expendable CTD (XCTD) and expendable sound velocity
(XSV)
• Development, production and setting up of underwater benthic station
network
• Design and development of pressure based & open type tide gauge
• Development of acoustic modem, electromagnetic current meter,
ultrasonic current meter and automated noise measurement system &
networking in shallow waters
• Geo acoustic inversion using vertical array of hydrophones
• Development of wavelet based de-noising algorithm for underwater signal
detection
• Development of inductive modem (1 m)
• Design and development of under water lamps for fishing
• Development of Multi-function data acquisition and control system for
marine applications
• Establishment of infrastructure for facilities such as, geo technical /
hydrographic / oceanographic survey
• Underwater electronic support facility
• Underwater electronic component development
• Development autonomous surface vehicle
• Marine sensor & technology development
• Acoustic emission
• Time reversal acoustic
• Marine animals and acoustics
• Shallow water measurements for ambient noise
• Acoustic daylight imaging
• Active structural – Acoustic control of ship hulls infrastructural facility
Marine Instrumentation
Budget : Rs. 51.14 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
15.11 13.57 12.51 3.95 6.00
Marine Sensors
Budget : Rs. 31.05 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
9.9 8.2 4.85 4.05 4.05
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Ocean Acoustics
Budget : Rs.54.04 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
10.0 12.0 18.0 8.04 6.0
3.7.5 Island Development
NIOT has been successful in creating the requisite infrastructure for carrying out
technology development activity in the island for the benefit of island community,
monitoring the health of seas, analysis of data on ocean parameters, enhancement of
Marine Living Resources through mariculture, biofouling control, etc. Utilizing those
infrastructures and expertise already developed by NIOT, the programmes such as mud
crab farming and open sea cage culture of lobsters, fish aggregation devices around
Lakshadweep islands, biofouling study of marine structures, completion of life cycle of
two species of lobsters and experiments study on Deep Ocean water were successfully
being implemented during the X Five Year Plan period, for overall economic
development of island and coastal community. During the XI five year plan period, this
group is focussing on the following major programmes
a. Production of commercially useful microalgal species and extraction of biochemicals
using deep ocean water.
b. Demonstration of open sea cage culture of fin and shellfish for the societal benefits
c. The introduction of coastal mariculture activity will help eradicating poverty among
the coastal fishers and provide alternate employment.
d. Reduction in the uncontrolled fishing in coastal areas will indirectly help in enhancing
the marine natural resources. Additionally, the cage operational sites will serve like a
better settling and feeding sites for young ones of various marine species.
e. A systematic GIS database will be available on spatial and temporal changes in
coastal water quality, mangrove vegetation, coral cover.
Objectives
• State-of-the-art training facilities for eco-friendly cage culture for live fish trade.
• Participation of Women and Self Help Groups (SHG) in socioeconomic development
of selected villages.
• Fish aggregation devices for tuna fishing
• A systematic GIS database on spatial and temporal changes in coastal water quality,
mangrove vegetation, coral cover.
• Creation of data model on various water quality parameter using existing database.
• Dissemination of information for developmental projects which requires
environmental clearance.
• Selection of site suitable for aquaculture including crab, lobster farming.
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• Short listing of potential strains of microalgae for heterotrophic production from
Indian waters.
• To integrate the laboratory based research facilities, computer hardware with
networking facilities to analyse and distribute the databases of biodiversity, molecular
sequence and structure, particularly for marine organisms.
• To evolve biofouling & corrosion potentials at different points along the Indian coast.
• To develop test protocols for evaluation of fouling, corrosion, biocorrosion &
performance of equipments / coatings Insitu for developing standards.
The field unit of NIOT at Port Bliar Andaman & Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science &
Technology (ANCOST) has started functioning from 1999 as a part of Ocean Scientific
and Technology for Islands. During this period, the Centre has worked on various R&D
project and societal activities and is also supporting Island administration on post-
tsunami rehabilitation reconstruction activities.
Earlier the Department of Ocean Development requested the Marine Products Export
Development Authority, Ministry of Commerce, during the year 1987 to demonstrate the
possibility of shrimp culture in the acid sulphate conditions prevailing at A & N Islands for
the socio-economic up-liftment. The MPEDA developed the facility during the year 1989
and 1990 with the fullest financial support of the DOD. They demonstrated the farming
techniques and trained around 200 islanders in the shrimp farming techniques. After the
completion f the project period, the MPEDA handed over the assets and liabilities back
to DOD, New Delhi. The DOD directly maintained the Centre for a period of 18 months
before they took a decision to hand over the same to NIOT during the year 1999.
It is proposed to upgrade Andaman & Nicobar center for ocean science and technology
as a national centre of the national institute of technology
The Programme being implemented are
• Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction system (COMAPS)
• Commercialization and extension of mud crab fattening technology
• Implementation of extraction of bioactive compounds from marine organisms
• GIS based model for the land use land cover change for Nicobar group of Island
• Environmental impact assessment programme
The centre is also supporting the Institutional activities like Tide Gauge installation and
monitoring, Data buoy programme by coordinating with Administration, Navy and Coast
Guard.etc., Under the XI five plan new activities are proposed as per the need of Island.
Administration. It may be noted that developmental activities at A&N is being pursued by
the Government on a priority basis. Hence NIOT’s presence has to be strengthened to
work on Ocean Technology related activities as given below:
Marine micro algal biotechnology (MAB):This involves promotion of research in the line
of identification of commercial important marine microalgale species in Indian waters,
developing, extraction and optimization of biochemical production, development of
transgenic microalgal strains for maximizing production of biochemical compounds of
interest
Fish Cages for Alternative Livelihood (Fish-CAL): The marine capture fishery potential of
A&N Islands, as revalidated by Ministry of Agriculture during 2000, is about 246,000
tonnes. However the current level of fish production is estimated to be only 28,000
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tonnes. The groupers and snappers have high commerical value in international market
if sold in live condition. The proposed project aims at distribution of cages to selected
Self Help Groups (SHGs). It is initially planned to encourage wild-collection of
commercial sized grouper and snapper, following the recommended legal size
restrictions proposed by state administration. Later on, the programme plans to lay
importance only on culture of hatchery-produced juveniles up to marketable size for live
fish trade.
Island Resource Marine Information System (IRIS): Any Plan, should lead to an
integrated and environmentally sound development based on science and technology.
These programmes should be primarily meant for the benefit of the islanders, at the
same time, fitting into the overall strategy of our nation’s economic development. A
Geographical Information System (GIS) based resource inventory will be most suitable
for this purpose as this will provide a powerful platform to integrate multiple resource
information in the form of multi-layered Geo-database. This will help the resource
managers and policy makers evaluate the natural resources in a holistic manner through
a very user-friendly and interactive interface to take appropriate decisions for various
developmental activities in these islands. It can also be used as a powerful tool to
synthesize all the data, for comprehensive Interpretation and forecasting of marine
environmental ecosystems for the islands region.
Commercialization and extension of mud crab breeding, larval rearing and
fattening/culture technology: Mud crab is one of the highly priced seafood commodities
because of its nutritional value and it’s potential as an export commodity. Due to faster
rate of natural stock depletion, over fishing and fluctuation in catches, the landing is
insufficient to meet the export demand, has stimulated mud crab aquaculture venture in
Indian sub continent. Culturing crabs in captivity could be one of the strategies to cope
up with the ever-increasing demand. However at present no commercial mud crab
farming is undertaken in India. Even though there is good scope for commercial crab
farming in India, the crab culture depends overwhelmingly on wild caught brood stock
and seed. Hence crab culture practice faces a critical bottleneck effect in seed
production due to the lack of quality brood stock and viable breeding and larval rearing
technology. Hence it is proposed to develop technologies for captive brood stock
development and larval rearing of the mud crabs belonging to the genus Scylla.
Major infrastructure facilities planned are
Construction of new Staff quarters: The exiting quarters were constructed by MPEDA.
when they were executing a project for DOD in 1990 and these buildings are damaged
after earth quake and they are not actually quarters constructed with different category
as per Government norms rather they are much like temporary living facilities.
Andaman has a peculiar long rainy season of almost 8 months in a year and our work
involves staff moving to different islands for sampling and hence these Quarters would
be benefits to staff
Mud crab farming: The ongoing mud crab farming and fattening work is done with wild
caught crabs. In order to sustain this activity mud crab farming facility with state of the
art hatchery system is planned for this centre.
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Projects planned:
• Sea cage culture of lobster and crabs and open sea aquaculture
• Island resource information system
• Marine Micro-algal Biotechnology
• Development of Marine Bioinformatics applications
• Materials for marine applications
Infrastructure facilties for upgradation of centre at Port Blair
Rs Crores
Mud crab hatchery with seawater intake system 5.00
Staff Quarters 3.00
GIS Laboratory facility – 3.00
Algal culture facility 2.00
Fis-cal laboratory 3.00
--------
Total 16.00
Additional 16 personnel would be required minimally.
It is felt that wider reach is required along the west coast and east coast and the present
structure is not able to cater to these requirements. 2 extension centres of NIOT are,
therefore proposed to be set up in each of the above coastlines as detailed below. :
3.7.5.1 West Bengal (East Coast)
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) proposes to open a center in the eastern region of
India, possibly at Rajarhat, Kolkata. The focus of the center will be to develop science
and technologies in the marine sector targeting sustainable long term economic
development. The region has number of specific requirements, given the presence of
Kolkata Port, which a prime driver for the local economy; the Sunderbans and Chilka
Lake as major natural resources; Orissa as a growing investment location; and
environmental protection for critical resources like Sunderbans and turtle breeding
grounds.
Technologies and environmental resource management specific to the regions of
West Bengal and Orissa are:
(a) Sediment transport and geomorphology with an emphasis on navigation,
dredging and erosion
(b) Shoreline Protection methods for coastal areas on coasts of Orissa and West
Bengal, as well as bank protection along the estuarine stretches of High River
and Sunderbans.
(c) Aquaculture for shellfish (prawns, crabs, mussels) and fish (catfish, perch) on
combination of each particularly in mangroves and inter-tidal areas.
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(d) Mangrove propagation and biodiversity enhancement approaches.
(e) Waste water treatment using constructed wetlands to generate economically
useful by products (seaweeds, aquaculture feed)
(f) Tidal energy
(g) Desalination and water treatment given the high arsenic and iron content in
water.
(h) GIS and Remote sensing for identification of areas for economic development of
environmental protection, addressing natural resources and natural hazards.
(i) Biotechnology for doing research.
(j) Oceanographic measurements for long term understanding of interaction of
Ganges- Brahmaputra basins to bay of Bengal
(k) Evaluation of land based inputs during dry and wet (monsoon) season for
estuarine environmental quality to control sediment inputs.
(l) Consolidation of above efforts for Coastal Zone Management Plans.
Investment for initial 5 year period
Sl.No. Description Rs. In Crores
Non recurring
A. Equipment - Oceanographic measurements, currents, 2.00
Tides, waves, salinity, temperature, wind, pressure
B. Water quality based – DO, BOD, pH, nutrients, etc 1.00
C. Computers for GIS & RS, Office, Networking 1.50
D. Building, Infrastructure, maintenance, furniture 2.50
E. Projects 20.00
Recurring
E. Core manpower and services 3.50
G. Operating costs (Electricity, transport, travel, 1.00
stationeries, etc.)
H. Contingencies 1.00
32.50
TOTAL
Additional 30 personnel would be required minimally.
3.7.5.2 Gujarat (West Coast)
Gujarat is focused on economic development through the port and harbour
sector. Maharashtra is also stepping up efforts to develop coastal infrastructure. Port,
coastal industries and fisheries have been key focus areas with several vision
documents, policy statements. Key projects, both existing and future are:
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Ports and loading / unloading facilities at Kandla, Mundra, Pipavav, Shell (Hazira),
Petronet (Dahej), Sikka (Reliance), Vadinar (Essar), Jakhau (Good Earth)
Kalpasar project for generation of energy & freshwater
Industrialization from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
Spurt of activity along the Mumbai-Goa coastal stretch with privatization of Jaigad &
Dighi sites, Dabhol near Ratnagiri, NPCIL project at Vijaydurg, Finolex at Ratnagiri.
The focus of the center needs to join hands with the states in meeting their requirement
while encouraging the need for environmental sustainability. The center may act as a
proactive facilitator rather than a regulator or a non-participant.
Focus areas
• Coastal zone management at a macro level using GIS and Remote. ICMAM
already has a plan for Gulf of Kutchch which needs to be extended and
consolidated with the rest of Gujarat state. Similar exercise can be extended
to Maharashtra.
• Ship breaking yard monitoring and management studies
• Fish processing and related waste management.
• Salt water intrusion.
• Mangrove afforestation, biodiversity enhancement and propagation
• Dredging.
• Intake and outfall designs.
• Marine Archaeology
• Oceanographic and Geomorphology studies for Gulf of Khambhat and inner
areas of Gulf of Kutchch..
• Oceanographic measurements for long term understanding of regimes
changes due to upstream freshwater control.
Investment for initial 5 year period
Sl.No. Description Rs. In Crores
Non recurring
A. Equipment - Oceanographic measurements, currents, 2.00
Tides, waves, salinity, temperature, wind, pressure
B. Water quality based – DO, BOD, pH, nutrients, etc 1.00
C. Computers for GIS & RS, Office, Networking 1.50
D. Building, Infrastructure, maintenance, furniture 2.50
E. Projects 30.00
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Recurring
E. Core manpower and services 3.50
G. Operating costs (Electricity, transport, travel, 2.00
stationeries, etc.)
H. Contingencies 1.00
43.50
TOTAL
Additional 30 personnel would be required minimally.
Total requirement under the programme is given below:
Item 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Projects at 12.40 13.20 16.00 14.30 14.10 70.00
Port Blair
Upgradation 2.00 6.00 5.00 2.00 1.00 16.00
of centre at
Port Blair
Requirements 5.00 7.00 8.00 7.00 5.50 32.50
for East coast
centre in West
Bengal
Requirements 5.00 13.00 16.00 6.00 3.50 43.50
for West coast
centre in
Gujarat
24.40 39.20 45.00 29.30 24.10 162.00
3.7.6 Argo Floats
To study the variability in the heat content in the upper layers of the ocean for the
understanding of global scale changes in the climate. The recent research indicates that
upper ocean heat content influences the inter-annual variability of monsoon rainfall-over
India. These data sets will provide immense help in predicting tropical cyclone track and
intensity. These data will help to obtain an unprecedented dataset for model initialization,
data assimilation and dynamical consistency testing of the next generation of global
ocean and coupled models.
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Objectives
• Deploying 50 floats per year with different sampling strategies covering Northern
Indian Ocean
• Deploying floats with additional sensors like Oxygen, Chlorophyll, wave current,
rainfall and windfall in addition to CTD sensors
• Design optimization of indigenized float systems to reduce power consumption for
increasing the useful life
• Augmentation of indigenized floats with additional / alternate sensors
Projects
• Procurement of Floats
• Deployment of Floats
• Augmentation of existing design
Budget : Rs. 30.8 crores to be met from ISOON/NDBP programme of HQ
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
6.85 6.05 6.00 5.95 5.95
3.7.7. Gas Hydrates
Development of underwater technology leads to the growth of different tools which are
required to map, observe and explore the deep ocean resources and play vital role as
supporting tool for deep water engineering operations in coming decades.
Remotely operated submersibles are used primarily in the area of marine science
research. The AUV with docking station increases the operating time at the depth. Also it
may be possible to develop wet recharger for unlimited operations. The Hybrid Remotely
Operated Vehicle is a unique system which combines the advantages of ROV and AUV.
The AUV can operate independently in deep waters.
Identification & quantification of gas-hydrates along the continental margins of India are
very essential to evaluate the resource potential followed by technology development to
validate the ground truth and exploit the new energy reserves.
As gas-hydrates are not stable at standard temperature and pressure like other
minerals/resources, they cannot be exploited with the existing technology. The
technology for commercial production and transportation of gas-hydrates from seafloor
to sea surface is in its infancy and remains a major challenge. Lot of collective efforts are
on throughout the world to tap this non-conventional source of energy. The successful
development of the remote coring system will be the first step towards establishing
unique functioning technology for exploiting ocean resources. The need to further this
technology will be the natural corollary. The concept of the technology will establish the
basis of the pilot plant technology.
Objectives
• Developing suitable technology devices for supporting offshore activities
• Developing skill base and infrastructure to support and maintain the systems
• Developing a suitable technology device for understanding the behavior of gas
hydrate seepages and sampling at sea bed
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• Developing exploitation strategy for gas hydrates
• Developing transportation, storage and processing facilities for gas hydrates
• Creating facilities viz. hyperbolic pressure chamber to test the underwater vehicles
as a whole
Projects
• Autonomous Underwater vehicle (AUV) with docking station
• Development of Hybrid Remotely operated Vehicle (HROV)
• Utilizing the upgraded support submersible for Gas hydrate exploration
• Fine tuning and utilizing the Support Submersible for gas hydrate exploration
• Development of Remote coring system with enhanced capability
• Pilot plant for production of Gas from the Gas Hydrate rich zone
• Storage, Transportation & Processing Gas Hydrate
Budget : Rs. 564.46 crores to be met from Gas hydrate programme of HQ.
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
44.84 86.93 164.61 145.44 122.64
3.7.8 National Data Buoy Programme (NDBP)
Upper ocean dynamics has tremendous influence on both short- and long-term
atmospheric changes. Observing these properties of the ocean and incorporating
relevant data into models is essential to the prediction of our future climate, the onset of
the monsoon, the longer term decadal changes linked to the Indian ocean dipole mode
and propagating long waves. The recent reports indicate that there is an increase in the
nature’s fury and the episodes of natural hazards like Tsunami, Cyclones and Storm
surges calls for the need of systematic observation of various oceanographic and
meteorological parameters and the timely dissemination of information to public and
other related agencies for mitigation. Therefore, the accuracy of future climate forecasts
will depend on improvements in our ocean observations like temperature, salinity, and
currents within the upper layers of the ocean.
The vision guiding the development of an Integrated Sustained Ocean Observation
Network (ISOON) is to provide the information needed by governments, industry,
science and the public to deal with marine related issues, including the effects of the
ocean upon climate. It needs to be supported by a unified network to systematically
acquire, integrate and distribute oceanic observations and to generate analysis,
forecasts and other useful products.
Objectives
• Time series met-ocean data and data products from a wide network of various
observational platforms located in coastal, within the EEZ and open ocean region in
the North Indian Ocean.
• Near realtime retrieval and dissemination of various met-ocean parameters to
various end users and user specified observational programmes with a wide network
of observational platforms.
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• Facility to validate/ calibrate various met-ocean sensors in marine environment.
• Time series data to validate satellite observations and model evaluation of various
met-ocean parameters.
Projects
• Indian Coastal Ocean Observational Network (ICOON)
• Indian EEZ Observational Network (IEON)
• Open Ocean Observational Network (OOON)
Budget : Rs. 336.29 crores to be met from programme on ISOON/NDBP
(Rs. In crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
62.81 73.14 64.26 67.53 68.55
3.7.9 Offshore Operations
Offshore operations group is mainly to link for carrying out the various experiments at
sea. This group will co-ordinate the activities of offshore and shall have the full
infrastructure to implement the trial and demonstration of technology. Certain
infrastructure will be created for the same.
Objectives
• Creation of infrastructure for safe and smooth execution of various operations.
Projects
• Reconnaissance and survey boat
• Hydra and lifting appliances
• Deep sea lifting and mooring winches
Budget : Rs.17 crores to be met from Technology Development(Mining) programme of
HQ
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
4.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 1.0
3.7.10 Offshore Structures
Introduction
This group focuses on modelling and testing of different types of structures for offshore
applications, offshore platforms for wind energy desalination plants and cyclic load test
facility for offshore applications.
Objectives
• Modelling, analysis, design and model testing of different types of offshore
structures.
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• Powering of offshore desalination plants by renewable energy like wind energy.
• To set up a cyclic testing facility to test different objects of different materials like
pipes and rope subjected to time varying loads.
Projects
• Modelling and testing of different type of structures for offshore applications
• Offshore platforms for wind energy driven desalination plants
• Cyclic load test facility for offshore applications
Budget : Rs.54.65 crores to be met from Desalination project of HQ programme
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
2.0 20.0 18.0 8.0 6.65
3.7.11 Vessel Management Cell (VMC)
The vessel management cell has the following mandate:
• Operation, maintenance and technical management of existing research vessels
Sagar Purvi, Sagar Paschmi, Sagar Shakthi, Sagar Manjusha and the proposed
technology demonstration vessel.
• To conduct swath bathymetry survey in the East coast of India under EEZ
programme.
• Design, detailed engineering and construction of technology demonstration vessel
• Establishment of autonomous underwater data and positioning network in the East
coast
• Acquire an autonomous underwater vehicle capable of carrying out survey at deep
waters of 3000 m.
Objectives
• To continue operation, running and maintenance of the existing research vessel and
augment them to have pollution control capability and replacing them after their
useful life.
• To build a new multipurpose vessel for technology services and demonstration to
cater to the ongoing and new programmes of NIOT and act as a supporting platform
for various research activities of the department.
• Preparation of comprehensive bathymetric map of Exclusive Economic Zone of India
across eastern coast between 10 m water depth and 500 m water depth.
• To establish an autonomous underwater data and positioning network in the East
coast.
Projects
• Continuing programme for operation, running and maintenance of the existing
research vessel
• Acquisition of technology demonstration vessel Sagar Nidhi
• Swathe bathymetry survey of the exclusive economic zone of India
• Acquisition of an autonomous underwater vehicle, survey of deep water (>3000 m)
natural resources and autonomous underwater data and positioning network.
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Budget : Rs. 150.96 crores to be met from the provision under the programme on
Coastal Research Vessel of HQ.
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
101.05 11.44 12.16 12.70 13.61
3.7.12 Capacity Building, Infrastructure, operations etc
3.7.12.1 Mechanical Design (Integrated fluid dynamic laboratory facility)
To serve the long term and short term needs of the institute, it is necessary to establish
an integrated fluid dynamics laboratory. This will help in arriving at optimal designs for
various applications in frontier areas.
The facility will have laboratory for testing scale models as well as computational tools
for simulating real systems.
It is necessary to establish a test facility with the state of the art equipment to conduct
studies on scale models that can help arrive at the optimum design and a computational
facility with the state of the art modelling tool to handle the design and operational issues
in the general area of fluid dynamics and convective heat transfer.
Objectives
• To provide a set of tools at the Institute’s disposal to carry out system level analyses
in the general areas of fluid and thermal sciences
• To develop an expertise in the experimental and numerical modelling area to carry
out the process enhancement, design optimisation and feasibility studies for optimal
design
• To provide the institute with the basic tools to conduct scale model analyses, as in
the case of changing the design from a small-scale model to a commercially feasible
large scale model.
Projects
• Integrated test facility
• Computational fluid dynamics laboratory
Budget : Rs. 8.40 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
4.0 2.0 2.40 - -
3.7.12.2 NIOT Institutional frame work – Administration, campus development and
maintenance including manpower and operational expenses
NIOT is successfully carrying out the assigned task within the stipulated time supported
by adequate infrastructure and administrative and supporting staff. Administrative and
supporting staff works closely with the scientific and technical staff in fulfilling all the
requirements of implementing the various projects. So the provision under this is used
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for purchase of technical books for library, procuring computers, printers, software and
other equipments, administration group, human resource development group,
development and maintenance of existing campus.
Objectives
• To impart appropriate training to staff on different fields for improving the work
output and to create virtual university on ocean technology (Human Resource
Development)
• To take care of the maintenance of the existing computers, NIOT web server,
network and other IT related products of NIOT by the existing computer
maintenance cell (Computer maintenance cell)
• To create, alter, maintain, quality infrastructure facilities to cater to the fullest
utilization of the facilities created in a NIOT campus (Estate and Security).
• To meet expenses towards domestic / foreign travel expenses, medical
reimbursement, salaries including perks, maintenance of plant and machinery
and institute vehicle and purchase of technical books and hindi books, etc
(Establishment, Administrative and Campus maintenance expenses including
library).
Budget : Rs.258.11 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
25.0 30.0 45.0 65.0 93.11
3.8 Delineation of Outer Limits 0f Continental Shelf
Continental shelf as defined in Article 76 of United Nations Convention on Law of the
Sea (1982) is required to be delineated by the States Parties in accordance with the
provisions of the Convention. While Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone follows
essentially from the baseline, the formulation for establishing the outer limits of the
continental shelf involves interplay of various criteria. Claims in relation to the outer limits
of the Continental Shelf have to be submitted by the States Parties to the Commission
on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS). It is expected that India may gain a significant
area beyond the existing Exclusive Economic Zone.
In this context, it is important to point out that our claims would be based on Statement
of Understanding provided in Annex II of the Final Act of the Third United Nations
Conference on Law of the Sea which is applicable to Sri Lanka and India only. For this
purpose, discussion with Sri Lanka in respect of technical and policy issues regarding
the Delineation of Outer Limits of Continental Shelf between India and Sri Lanka is
required to be taken up. Simultaneously, boundary delineation issues also need to be
taken up with Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Maldives.
While, the data acquisition and processing including the interpretation of data has been
completed and final report and submission is in advanced stage of completion, we need
to continue this programme which is of strategic importance till our claims are accepted
in the UN. While we need to keep a token provision, there may arise the need to take up
more survey to support and justify our claims, which will be known from the response of
the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf upon examination of India’s
submission. We have already created data archival facility at NCAOR for 32000 line km
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of geophysical data and expertise exclusive to this programme. This needs to be
optimally utilized and secured.
Token Financial Requirement during XI plan: Rs. 6 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00
3.9 Comprehensive Topographic Surveys
India with a coastline of over 7516 km and 1197 islands, is traditionally a
seafaring country. The adoption of the Convention of the UN Conference on the Law of
the Seas has established a new international order for the oceans. This extends the
economic jurisdiction of coastal states to an area ranging from 200 to 350 nautical miles
from the coastline. As of now, 200 nautical mile is our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to this regime, in 2.02 million square kilometers of EEZ area, which is nearly
two-thirds of the landmass, India has the exclusive right to utilize living and non-living
resources.
The seabed below our EEZ is the repository of hydrocarbons and other potential mineral
resources. While the search and research for mineral and hydrocarbon and fishing
resources is being pursued by the various agencies, the knowledge about
topography/geomorphology of the seafloor remains very sketchy. Our knowledge of the
seafloor morphology is on the basis of single beam echosoundings and spot
measurements obtained over a long period of time for the navigation purposes and by
merchant navy ships. The variety of geological features i.e. submarine channels,
canyons, volcanoes etc. remain to be studied in detail.
As of now, there is a specific requirement of detailed topographic maps in the following
areas:
• Mineral exploration and development
• Deployment of research instrumentation on or near seafloor including
submersible operations
• Fishing operations using deep trawl or bottom fishing gear
• Sub-sea pipe line or cable rooting
• Identification of ocean waste-disposal sites
• Port and Harbor Development
• Fish habitat research
• Marine archeological studies
Considering the importance of the work from national perspective, a project on “
Surveys of the Exclusive Economic Zone of India” was formulated. The main objective
of the project is to prepare a comprehensive morphology/topography map for the entire
EEZ which would be useful in addressing the areas listed above. Sampling by grabs
and sediment coring will enhance our knowledge on sedimentation, paleo-climate, non-
living resources etc. Besides, the detailed morphology on the basis of seamless
topography of EEZ will help us refine our understanding of the endowment of resources.
Prevalent state of art technologies enables us to obtain morphology of long swaths of
seabed in single cruise tracks, with multi-beam sonar.
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The mission mode programme was accordingly reformulated by the department in
association with the participating institutes, GSI (marine wing) and Naval Hydrographic
Offfice(NHO) for obtaining morphology of the entire EEZ together with the sonar
imaging of the seabed. Sampling of the area is also proposed considering its importance
for endowment assessment. The implementation of the programme has now been
compressed for to duration of six years from the earlier proposal of nine years in view of
suggestion made by the Planning commission. Services of a chartered vessel have been
commissioned by a Russian vessel, in addition to the Research Vessel Sagar Kanya,
coastal vessels with the institutes engaged in the programme namely, NIOT, NIO and
NCAOR. It is proposed to complete all the data acquisition with the help of four vessels
using multibeam sonar in five years. The state of art multibeam system today can
provide a coverage up to 3.5 time the depth (in deep waters) and up to 7 times the depth
(in shallow waters). Further, data collection through multibeam echosounder is faster,
cost effective and more accurate. Total estimated ship days required for the work is
1238 days out of which shallow depth survey (10 m to 500m) of 5 lakh sq. km area is
estimated to be completed in 638 days and deeper water (>500m water depth) is
estimated to be completed in 600 shipdays. The data analysis processing and
digitization would be made simultaneously and would extend up to 6th year of the
programme. The Steering Committee comprising of MOOD,
NHO,GSI,NIO,NIOT,NCAOR would be monitoring the project covering all aspects.
While, the surveys for waters under 500 m depth are continuing using the Departmental
vessels, the deep water surveys beyond 500 m would not be completed within IX plan
period and would be continued during XI plan period. Further, data inventory and
archival facility will have to be created during the XI plan period. This would have to be
supplemented with adequate computational and memory.
Financial requirement in XI plan : Rs. 48 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 7.00
3.10 Studies on Gas Hydrates Exploration & Technology
Development for Its Assessment.
Gas-hydrates have attracted the attention of whole scientific community because of their
(i) Widespread occurrences in polar and outer continental margins and
(ii) Future potential energy resources.
Gas hydrate program was envisaged to get basic understanding on the occurrence,
distribution, formation mechanism and exploitation strategy for gas hydrates by Ministry
of Ocean Development involving Science and technology for qualification and
quantification of gas hydrates in Indian continental margins.
Science Component
This involves:
1. Development of basic infrastructure facilities for geophysical modeling studies
2. Established geophysical modeling techniques for assessing gas hydrate
occurrence (sites with BSR and without BSR)
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3. Infrastructure development for Synthesis and characterization of gas hydrates
using Raman Spectrometer
4. Equipments such as Ocean Bottom Seismometer and Heat probe were
purchased for the gas hydrate studies
5. Development of infrastructure for gas hydrate program
6. Laboratory Equipments for analysis
7. Sediment storage facilities
8. analytical techniques for gas hydrate, pore water chemistry etc (methanogenesis,
Sulphide Methane interface etc)
9. Techniques to study ecological aspects at gas hydrate study involving benthic
and microbial studies
Two sites of 100km x 100km with high potential of gas hydrate occurrence in East coast
of Indian were selected after detailed data processing of Multi-channel Seismic data
collected during Legal Continental Shelf program for gas hydrate study by NGRI and
NIO
Technology Component
This involves :
1. Development of Support Submersible 2500 and Coring System)
2. Autonomous Coring System
The development of the Support Submersible is in the integration phase and is expected
to be ready for sea trials by May 06. The Autonomous Coring System is at the design
stage.
The sequential development in this regard is as follows:
o Subcomponents qualification test for integration of SS2500
o Integration of all components for shallow water testing
o Testing the submersible at medium depth
o Ground truth validation of gas hydrate sites using suitable sensors for
o Basic design of Autonomous Coring system
o System integration will be completed for initial testing
Indo – Russian Centre for gas Hydrates
1. Centre started during February 2004 under Integrated Long term Program (ILTP)
of DST to cater the need of gas hydrate activities in India
2. In total Nine program had been identified and approved with three each to NIO,
NGRI and NIOT
3. First Visit of Indian Scientists to Russia was completed during April 2005.
Technology development and gas hydrate research in Lake Baikal projects were
formulated and under implementation
Science Component (NGRI & NIO)
This involves:
Multidisciplinary data acquisition and Collection of long (~20m) sediment cores at
selected two locations namely Godavari (17,875 sq.km) and Mahandi offshore (12,220
sq.km)
Following detail survey will be performed at selected sites :
1. Sparse grid Multi channel seismic study – NGRI
2. Swath Bathymetry survey – NIO
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3. Deep tow digital sides scan survey – NIO
4. High resolution sparker Survey – NIO
5. Deep tow digital video imaging – NIO
6. CTD and Heat flow measurement – NIO & NGRI
7. Close grid Multi channel seismic study – NGRI
8. OBS survey along with short streamer – NGRI
9. Sediment and water sampling – NIO & NGRI
The data will be analysed
a. to infer geophysical and non geophysical proxies (gas charged sedimentary
columns, contrasting acoustic impedance horizons, gas escape features etc besides
geochemical and biological proxies
b. to establish geophysical modeling techniques for resource estimation
c. to identify the benthic communities and quantification of methanogenes,
sulphate and nitrate reducing bacteria and other microbes which thrive on methane and
other gases
d. to characterize gas hydrates bearing sediments
e. to select few best suitable sites for ground truth validation by technology devices
Activities under XI plan period
The present gas hydrate programme through its science and technology components
will lead to a better understanding of the gas hydrate characteristics vis a vis the
environment and handling. This will lead to the ultimate target of evolving suitable
science and technology for the production and maintenance of the ecology.
The successful development of the remote coring system will be the first step towards
establishing unique functioning technology for exploiting ocean resources. The need to
further this technology will be the natural corollary. The concept of the technology will
establish the basis of the pilot plant technology.
Technology development
To meet the objectives laid out above, the technology development and requirement
would consist of the following, though not confined to them :
1. Pilot plant for production of Gas from the Gas Hydrate rich zone.
2. Manned submersible to monitor the functioning of the Pilot plant.
3. Development of further unmanned remotely operated submersibles and
Remotely operated coring and drilling systems to build up spare capacity.
4. To upgrade existing Remote coring system for capability enhancement.
5. Storage, Transportation & Processing Gas Hydrate
1. Pilot plant for production of Gas from the Gas Hydrate rich zone
Though gas-hydrates are a vast storehouse of natural gas, commercial production of
gas from gas-hydrates has been a distant prospect. Three methods such as (i) thermal
stimulation, (ii) depressurisation and (iii) inhibitor injection can be considered for
production of gas from gas-hydrates.
However, no method has been proved economically viable so far. With the fast growth of
technology, it is expected that methane trapped below the gas-hydrates can be exploited
economically. Therefore, we should look into ‘gas traps in hydrate-seals’ at places of
seafloor hills, domes extending from below towards the seafloor, dipping strata
intersecting the seafloor.
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Depending on the success of the Remote operated automated coring system, the
technology will be advanced to initially tap the gas below Gas Hydrate layer where ever
found suitable. The system may either be based on offshore platform or sea floor based
(may be in further future). Putting a suitable offshore platform at 2000 to 2500 meters
depth is the technological challenge and it needs to be evolved before embarking on a
long term and large-scale solution.
Initially the system will consist of ship mounted production unit to prove the technology
and the success of it would lead to establishment of large scale plants for commercial
productions.
2. Manned submersible to monitor the functioning of the Pilot plant.
Going by the trends of the world in the research of Gas Hydrates and related
technologies, the use of remotely operated unmanned submersible and subsequently
manned submersibles are expected to play a major role in defining the deep sea
technologies of the future. In similar programs, United States of America and Canada
have been using the service of ALVIN (manned submersible of Woodshole Institute)
extensively in areas like Blake Ridge etc. for validating the survey data. The monitoring
of the coring & drilling system and the future process of converting the Remotely
operated Drilling and Coring systems to sea bottom based production and power
generation centers will depend largely on the successful usage of the manned and
unmanned submersibles.
India has already embarked on developing un-manned submersibles and it would be
prudent to continue its advancement in the form of manned submersibles. The idea of
using nuclear power source would also be explored depending upon the feasibility.
3. Development of further unmanned remotely operated submersibles and Remote
coring and drilling systems to build up spare capacity.
Considering the spread of the Gas Hydrate resources in Indian waters and in the
likelihood of the attempt to explore the full potential of the resources, it will be required to
have the services of quite a few numbers of support submersibles and remote coring
systems. This will lead to building up the spare capability and reduce idle time between
downtimes.
4. Upgrade existing Remote coring system for capability enhancement.
The present drilling and coring system would have the capability of drilling up to 50
meters (upgradeable to 150 meters) whereas the expected Gas hydrate layers can
occur up to 400 to 500 meters below the sea floor. To realize the full usefulness of the
system it is necessary, as the next step, to enhance the drilling capacity to around 500
meters. The modalities of enhancement of the capabilities need to be examined taking
into account the size, weight, available infrastructure and modular enhancement
capability.
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5. Storage, Transportation & Processing Gas Hydrate
Through the production of Gas Hydrates, the skill, confidence and capabilities would
increase. This would lead to newer thinking on the qualification & quantification of gas
hydrate.
The process will also include recovery of gas from solid Gas Hydrates disassociated
through active agents and thereby enhancing the production capacity. The quality of the
gas from the Gas Hydrates also needs to be monitored control and processed to make it
suitable for transport, storage or energy conversion. The present idea is to have the
processing, controlling and monitoring unit atop the offshore production ship.
Financial implication for XI plan : Total Rs. 624.46 crores
(Technology Component : Rs. 564.46 crores
Science Component: Rs. 60 crore)
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
56.84 98.93 106.61 127.44 234.64
3.11 Acquisition of New Research Vessel
The Department’s focus in the next 5 years will be to develop sustainable technology for
the exploitation of various non-living resources. Under New Research Vessel, suitable
platform is required to replace the vessels and crafts chartered by the MOOD at present,
which caters to the demand for technology services and demonstration programme.
This new facility will also cater to shallow water survey, Data buoy maintenance, and act
as a supply and support platform for the various coastal and deep ocean activities
planned by the Department. A new multipurpose vessel for Technology services and
demonstration is presently under construction. Upon completion of design, the
agreement for construction of the vessel has been signed on 31.12.2005. This vessel
will serve as a platform for the programme envisaged in the X Plan and also serve as a
utility science vessel which will augment the capacity needs of the marine living and non-
living resources programme of the Department including the ongoing and the new
programmes of the Ministry of Ocean Development during the Tenth Five Year Plan and
thereafter, namely: Deep Sea mining, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Gas Hydrates, surveys to support technology demonstration
programmes etc. and to act as a support platform for various research activities planned
by the Ministry of Ocean Development. The NIOT is the nodal agency to implement this
programme and to operate and maintain the vessel.
The following activities would be completed during the present plan period
(i) 50% construction of the vessel. (Keel laying is already completed.)
(ii) procurement of outfitting for the vessel including Special Purpose Deck
Machinery and scientific equipment
Since, the construction activity is likely to be spilled over to the next plan period, the
programme would be continued in XI plan period.
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Financial Requirement during XI plan : Rs. 125crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009
110.00 15.00
3.12 Data Buoy programme / Integrated Sustained Ocean
Observation Network (ISOON)
The ISOON has been designed, considering the existing observational networks and
future possible observational requirements to address the ocean atmospheric processes
in an integrated way. The Data Buoy Programme being implemented since 9th Plan is
one of the components of the ISOON programme. Thus there would be no separate
programme as Data buoy Programme during XI Plan. The vision guiding the
development of an Integrated Sustained Ocean Observation Network (ISOON) is to
provide the information needed by governments, industry, science and the public to deal
with marine related issues, including the effects of the ocean upon climate. It needs to
be supported by a unified network to systematically acquire, integrate and distribute
oceanic observations and to generate analysis, forecasts and other useful products.
The proposed Integrated Sustained Ocean Observation Network is classified into three
networks namely, ICOON, IEON and OON. Different work packages are proposed to
cater the region specific requirement of the observation network. The status of each
work package with details of sensor fit, end application and the proposed locations are
furnished below.
Indian Coastal Ocean Observational Network (ICOON) Work Packages
ID Work Packages
WPC1 Coastal Weather Stations
WPC2 HF Radars
WPC3 Tide Gauges
WPC4 Environmental Buoys
WPC5 Port Buoys
WPC6 Moored Profilers
WPC7 Expendable Buoys
WPC8 Validation Platforms
Indian EEZ Observational Network (IEON) Work Packages:
WPE1 Ocean Buoys
WPE2 Current Meter Moorings
WPE3 Reference Platforms
WPE5 Glider Floats
WPE6 Autonomous Vehicle
WPE7 Tsunami Buoys
WPE8 GPS & Hydrophone Buoys
WPE9 Geophysical Observatory
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Open Ocean Observational Network (OOON) Work Packages:
WPO1 Met Buoys
WPO2 Drifter Buoys
WPO3 Argo Floats
WPO4 XBT Profilers
WPO4 Ocean Odyssey Buoys
WPO5 Ice Buoys
WPO6 – Work Packages for Open Ocean Observation
In each of the three working packages some components are continuing in nature and
some are new initiatives in XI Plan. Accordingly, these component are grouped into the
followings two groups giving details on responsibility of various institutes, : .
CONTINUING COMPONENTS:
Implementing Agency : NIOT /INCOIS
1 Tide Gauges NIOT
2 Environmental Buoys NIOT
3 Port Buoys NIOT
4 Moored Profilers NIOT
5 Expendable Buoys NIOT
6 Validation Platforms NIOT
7 Ocean Buoys NIOT
8 Current Meter Moorings NIOT
9 Reference Platforms NIOT
10 XBT Profilers NIO
11 Met Buoys NIOT
12 Drifter Buoys NIO
13 Argo Floats NIOT/INCOIS
NEW COMPONENTS
1 Glider Floats NIOT
2 Autonomous Vehicle NIOT
3 Tsunami Buoys NIOT
4 GPS & Hydrophone Buoys NIOT
5 Geophysical Observatory NIOT
6 Ocean Odyssey Buoys NIOT
7 Ice Buoys NIOT/ NCOAR
8. Coastal Weather Stations NIOT
9 HF Radars NIOT
Budget : Rs. 367.09 crores
The year-wise budget requirement for Continuing and New schemes each of the
component is as follows:
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2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011-2012 TOTAL
2008 2009 2010 2011
A. Continuing 40.00 50.00 50.00 40.00 20.00 200.00
databouy and
other buoys
B. ARGO 6.85 6.05 6.00 5.95 5.95 30.80
C. New 20.00 30.00 50.00 20.00 16.29 136.29
Components
3.13 Tsunami & Storm surges Warning System
MOOD is the nodal Department for setting up Early Warning System for Tsunami and
storm surges. INCOIS is the responsible agency under MOOD for setting up of Tsunami
Warning Centre. The warning system is planned to be made operational by September
2007.
During the operational phase the Early Warning Centre needs to be operated on 24x7
basis, which calls for technical infrastructure as well as computational infrastructure with
hot standby, thus eliminating chances for any single point failures. It is essential to
maintain and replace (as and when necessary) all sub-systems including the deep
ocean assessment and reporting system, tide gauges, radar network, communication
systems, etc.
PERIODIC REHEARSALS
A scheme for periodic rehearsals will be worked out to ensure that the entire system is
functioning normally. This will involve exercising the individual sub-systems (seismic,
water level, communication, dissemination, etc) and total system. This Drill will ensure
24x7 upkeep of the entire system.
CAPACITY BUILDING AND AWARENESS
Appropriate training programmes will be taken up to keep the technical manpower
abreast with the standard operating procedures at the Warning Centre as well as latest
advances in the field. Periodic workshops will be organised for the user community to
familiarize them with the use of tsunami and storm surge advisories as well as
inundation maps. Publicity material on Earth quake, Tsunami and storm surges will be
generated in vernacular languages to be distributed to general public.
IMPROVE & MAINTAIN ACTIVE DISSEMINATION CHAIN
Timely dissemination of tsunami and storm surge advisories to all stakeholders (MHA
and coastal population) is very critical. This requires a strong failsafe network of
dissemination equipment to be installed along the entire coastline. It is necessary to use
all available communication modes such as TV, Radio, IMD cyclone network, mobile
phones as well as introduce advanced Digital display Boards (with satellite
communication capabilities and ID based multicasting) and new technological
interventions that may be available.
R&D IN OCEAN SCIENCE, SEISMOLOGY, MODELLING
Basic research in Seismology will be pursued to extract information related to source
dynamics, rupture velocity, direction and displacement through a suite of modelling and
wave form inversion techniques.
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R & D in ocean sciences will be focused on evaluation of existing Tsunami and storm
surge models. Studies will also be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of natural and
artificial defence mechanism for mitigating the impact of Tsunami and storm surges.
The estimated fund required for this project would be Rs.126.18 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
41.18 20.00 20.00 25.00 20.00 126.18
3.14 National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR)
3.14.1 Establishment of New Permanent Indian Base in Antarctica
For the past 25 years the Indian activity has been concentrated in the Central Dronning1
Maudland (CDML) area of Antarctica. Considering the fact that it is necessary to
generate detailed and comprehensive data base which has both scientific and strategic
significance, it is envisaged to establish a new Indian permanent station in Antarctica.
This has become pertinent keeping in view the growing significance of Antarctica and
the Southern ocean as modulator of global climate change and other intrinsic processes,
which directly control the sustenance of humankind on the planet earth, and as a
potential sourcing of resources.
Keeping in view the above, during the XXIII Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica
(2003-04), a Task Force constituted by the Department of Ocean Development had,
after reconnaissance traverses in the coastal oases of the Vestfold Hills, Rauer Islands
and Larsemann Hills, tentatively identified a rocky promontory in the Larsemann Hills,
East Antarctica, as a possible site for India’s new permanent Antarctic base.
Subsequently, a team of scientists had visited the new site during the XXIV Expedition
and had initiated preliminary geological, glaciological, limnological and upper
atmospheric studies at Larsemann.
Based on the studies carried out, a timeframe for the various activities leading to the
establishment of the new Indian Antarctic Base in the Larsemann has been chalked out.
This includes a Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the proposed station as per
the provisions of the Environmental Protocol to the ATS, a detailed site and
building/infrastructure plan to be readied by 2007 and obtaining the requisite approvals
of ATCM for the Project. The construction work of the new station is planned to be
initiated during the XI Plan.
Financial Requirement: Rs. 74.00 crores
2007- 2008- 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total,
Details 08 09 12 Rs.
crore
1. Basic engineering set- 10.00 10.00 3.00 1.00 1.00 25.00
up/structure at the new
site/new research
station
2. Laboratory facility/ 5.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 10.00
instrumentation
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3. Life support system 5.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 10.00
(Communication, vehicle,
crane,dozer, gen. set,
fuel storage containers)
4. Satellite field 0.30 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.10 1.00
camps/living modules
5. Financial support to 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.60 3.00
scientific programmes
6. Logistics support (team 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 25.00
mobilization, food, kit
clothing etc.)
Total 24.90 19.30 10.80 9.30 9.70 74.00
* Assuming own ship will be ready by end of XI Plan
Foreign Exchange Component: Rs. 60.00 crores
3.14.2 Southern Ocean Studies
The agenda for research in the Southern Ocean realm underlines the sensitivity of the
Southern Ocean region to climatic variabilities and its importance in our understanding
the global environment. Basic and advanced research programs proposed to be
undertaken during the XI Plan period in the Southern Ocean Sector will primarily include
determination of the dynamics of the formation & distribution of water masses, currents
and sea ice, investigating the relationship between oceanic & atmospheric circulation
systems and the physical basis for biological productivity, assessment of the distribution,
sources and sinks of carbon, deciphering paleoclimatic records preserved in the
sediment cores from the southern Ocean and the periglacial freshwater lakes in the
continent, through integrated sedimentological, paleontological and geochemical studies,
and delineation of space-time variables of the APF and STC in the Indian Ocean Sector
of the Southern Ocean, and as assessment of the constraints of interhemisphere
climatic forcing functions.
Considering the need for an oceanographic research vessel in mounting the
Southern Ocean `experiments, it is planned to delink the Southern Ocean studies with
the regular Antarctic Expeditions. It is proposed to charter a state-of-the-art
oceanographic vessel during alternate years of the Plan period for this purpose, with
ORV Sagar Kanya being deployed in the Southern Ocean waters north of 58oS during
the intervening years. Although the Southern Ocean studies will be an integrated
effort involving several of the leading national laboratories, the primary responsibility for
planning and implementing the research programs in this sector as well as for the
planning and co-ordination of all activities related to mounting multi-disciplinary cruises
in the Southern Ocean will be vested with NCAOR.
FINANCIAL Requirement : Rs. 42 crores
Details 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total,
08 09 10 11 12 Rs.
crore
1. Chartering of Ship 4.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 6.00 15.00
2. Scientific instrumentation 1.00 2.00 0.50 2.00 1.00 6.50
3. Logistic support (team
mobilization, food, kit
clothing etc.) 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 2.50 11.50
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4. Finance support to
scientific programmes 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 2.00 9.00
Total 7.50 5.50 10.00 7.50 11.50 42.00
3.14.3 In house R&D, infrastructure, capacity building at NCAOR
With the establishment of state of the art instrumentation facilities at NCAOR like cold
laboratory, ultra clean (Class 100) room, SIRMS, ICPMS, AAS, SEM etc. the center has
fully geared up to take up well-focused scientific R & D activities in following scientific
disciplines and themes of polar/oceanographic research.
1. Ice-core studies & Paleoclimatology
2. Chemical /Geological/Biological Oceanography of the Southern Ocean
3. Satellite application and Remote Sensing in Polar Regions
4. Microbiological/ Biotechnological potential of Antarctic microbes
5. Antarctic Environment Studies
6. Paleoclimatic studies
7. Marine Geophysical studies
8. Development of National Antarctic Data Centre and its networking
Proposed activities during the XI Plan:
A brief outline of the objectives of the various research programs and activities
proposed to be undertaken by NCAOR during the XI Plan period is provided below: -
1. Ice-core studies & Paleoclimatology: It is proposed to collect short (<200 m long)
ice-cores from geographically distinct regions in Antarctica
2. Chemical/Physical/Biological Oceanography of the Southern Ocean: It is
proposed to undertake at least two cruises in the Southern Ocean during the XI Plan
period for undertaking R&D activities in different domains of Oceanography.
3. Satellite application and Remote Sensing in polar regions: During the XI plan,
the characterization of sea ice in Arctic and Antarctic using satellite data from
Indian/foreign satellites will be undertaken.
4. Microbiological/ Biotechnological potential of Polar microbes: In order to
explore the biopotential of different cold-temperature microbes/bacteria, systematic
studies shall be initiated in both the polar regions.
5. Antarctic Environment Studies: Systematic environmental monitoring around the
Indian Base in Antarctica as well as at the site of the new station in the Larsemann Hills
are proposed to be regular features of the Indian Antarctic Programme during the XI
Plan period.
6. Pale-oclimatic studies: Antarctic lake sediments, Southern Ocean sediment cores
and cores from the Arctic region represent some of the most reliable archives of paleo-
climatic conditions. Therefore, an integrated sedimentological, geochemical and
microplaeontological study of the sub-surface sediments from these regions is proposed
to be initiated for understanding the natural short-term climatic perturbations of the past.
Concrete efforts shall be made in this direction during the XI Plan to reconstruct the
millennial-scale climatic changes, with special reference to the Holocene.
7. Marine Geophysical studies: In order to explore the possible linkage of the Indian
sub-continent with Antarctica, a comprehensive geological/marine geophysical
investigation is proposed to be initiated during the XI Plan period in the East Antarctic
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region around Prydz Bay. The thrust areas of the studies being proposed are (i)
Understanding the structure and evolution of the East Antarctic Margin including crustal
architecture and possible rift processes, (ii) Determination of the spatial and temporal
partitioning of strain across the rifted margin, and (iii) understanding the type and nature
of the basement.
8. Development of National Antarctic Data Centre and its networking: Under
International obligation of ATS, the National Antarctic Operator needs to operate its own
data Center with linkages to the Antarctic Master Directory. Initial efforts in this direction
have already been made at NCAOR during the current plan period. These shall be
continued during the XI Plan with the ultimate aim of developing an exhaustive Indian
Antarctic Data Centre with uplinking to the Antarctic Master Directory.
Some of the above studies are already in progress and are proposed to be
continued in a phased manner spread over the XI plan period. To cater to the
requirements of these research activities as well as for its other mandated activities,
NCAOR has drawn up a comprehensive blue print for scientific manpower development
at the Centre concomitant with the phased expansion of the research areas. Besides
specialists in different disciplines to be recruited as scientists, the scientific complement
under different research programs will also include research fellows/ associates who will
support the various scientific activities at the Centre. In addition, the Centre also
proposes to support advanced research projects related to Polar Sciences being initiated
by other premier institutes in the country through a system of research fellowship
programs / GIA.
Financial Requirement : Rs. 167 crores
(Rs. 39.35 +Rs .127. 65 crores)
2007- 2008-09 2009- 2010-11 2011-12 Total,
Details 08 10 Rs.
crore
1. Ice-core studies & 0.80 0.32 0.83 0.84 0.85 3.64
Paleoclimatology
2. Chemical/ Physical/ 0.45 0.46 0.50 0.75 1.00 3.16
Biological Oceanography of
the Southern Ocean
3. Satellite application and 0.10 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.15 0.64
Remote Sensing in polar
regions
4. Microbiological/ 0.20 0.21 0.24 0.25 0.26 1.16
Biotechnological potential of
Antarctic microbes
5. Antarctic Environment 0.20 0.21 0.24 0.25 0.26 1.16
Studies.
6. Paleoclimatic studies 0.65 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.15 0.19
7. Marine Geophysical studies 0.30 0.27 0.26 0.28 0.30 1.41
8. Development of NADC 0.25 0.27 0.28 0.29 0.30 1.39
- Other NCAOR Expenses
9. Other lab. expenses related 0.50 1.00 1.50 1.60 2.00 6.60
to R&D
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10. KBCAOS 0.75 0.75 1.00 1.00 1.00 4.50
11. Microbiology Centre at 1.00 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 3.50
CCMB
12. Expenses related to LCS 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 3.00
submission
13. Scientific Equipt. For Sagar 2.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 8.00
kanya
Total 8.20 6.73 7.61 8.04 8.77 39.35
9. Construction of a Jetty at NCAOR , Capacity Building, Office and
Operational Expenses
Considering that (i) NCAOR is the nodal agency responsible for the handling of ORV
Sagar Kanya and other vessels chartered by the Ministry (ii) Goa is the launching pad
for the annual Antarctic Expeditions as well as those being proposed for the Southern
Ocean, the need is being felt for a dedicated jetty abutting the NCAOR Complex, as an
extension of the current port facilities being managed by the Mormugao Port Trust
(MPT). Preliminary discussions in this regard with the officials of the MPT indicate that
the Port Trust is also keenly interested in this Project, as it will help reduce the traffic at
the Port to a great extent.
Office and operational expenses
1. Salary, wages etc. 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 25.00
2. Other office expenses 5.00 5.00 5.00 7.00 8.00 30.00
including establishment, campus
maintenance, electricity, water,
POL, transport etc.
3. Civil works comprising:a - 6.00 5.00 4.60 0.80 0.00 16.40
Visiting scientists’ lab; Director's
Office; Data Centre; research
Scholar's Hostel, Guest House
b - Construction of a Jetty 4.00 22.00 20.00 2.00 2.00 50.00
c - Purchase of land &
construction of residential
accommodation 3.00 2.00 1.25 0.00 0.00 6.25
Total 21.00 38.00 35.85 15.80 17.00 127.65
3.15 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS)
3.15.1 Information Bank and Web-based Services
Need-based User Projects for Coastal and Offshore applications
With the vast amount of data available in the Information Bank of INCOIS, Ocean
models could be fruitfully utilized to undertake need based user projects for coastal and
offshore applications.
Development of an active network of institutional and project-oriented data centres
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INCOIS has the mandate to generate and provide data and value added data products
to user communities. In accordance with this, INCOIS has been providing data and data
products, advisory services to several users.
During the XI plan, it is proposed to have a strong organisational arrangements with all
the agencies involved in ocean observational programmes, so that there is real-time
/near real-time flow of data to Ocean information Bank.
INCOIS will make the data and data products available to all users in appropriate
formats. This will facilitate optimal and proper utilization of data for both operational
oceanography and other research purposes.
National Oceanographic Data Centre
Recently, INCOIS has obtained the formal status of being the National Oceanographic
Data Centre for India, which will be the centralized facility that provides continuous
ocean data and information in usable form to user community. The data flow to NODC
from ocean information bank will follow national data policy.
Data Warehousing & Data Mining Applications for in-situ and remote sensing data &
data products.
INCOIS has implemented state-of-the-art data base driven user friendly dynamic web
site with multilingual capability, Web-GIS facilities for providing ocean information and
advisory services such as PFZ, OSF, Argo data and products, etc. This has been widely
used web site among wide spectrum of users.
To improve the functionality of the Website and maintain a centralised repository of
enterprise data, INCOIS has initiated the development of data warehouse and data
mining facility. Towards this, INCOIS has designed a data warehouse data base using
Oracle for managing in-situ as well as remote sensing data. Also a GIS based interface
for selection and retrieval of data from various observing platforms in the Indian Ocean
has been developed. During the XI Plan it is proposed to make this as a full fledged data
warehousing with data mining capabilities using on-line analytical processing (OLAP)
and on-line transaction processing (OLTP).
The entire web site will be maintained and upgraded from time to time with
contemporary technologies in ICT and marine realm.
Ocean Data dissemination to operational agencies
Web interface developed by INCOIS will provide timely, reliable, up-to-date ocean
information to various users in appropriate formats to meet their requirements.
Global Telecommunication System (GTS)
It is imperative to get a dedicated GTS access from IMD for National oceanographic
activities. This will facilitate to receive oceanographic data disseminated by International
communities in Indian Ocean. Also, as a part of International commitment, we could
disseminate oceanographic data collected outside EEZ from Indian observing system to
other operational agencies.
The estimated fund requirement in this project is Rs.10.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
1.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 10.00
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3.15.2 Ocean Science and Techniques Development
3.15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and Data Assimilation for (a) Ocean and Climate, (b)
Coastal Ocean and (c) Hazardous events
Setting up of High-performance Computing (HPC) facility at INCOIS as a national facility
INCOIS was called upon to be the prime mover for Ocean modelling by INDOMOD-
SATCORE steering committee (Oct, 2001). Governing Council of INCOIS in its 9th
meeting recommended that INCOIS will set up a high-performance computing facility to
run coastal, regional and global model in operational mode. This will also serve as a
National facility for other R & D in ocean modelling. This facility will be setup in a phased
manner.
Ocean Modelling with Data Assimilation for providing description of past, present &
future state of Ocean at appropriate spatial & temporal resolutions.
The plan is to (a) assemble long-term climatic data sets to describe past states and time-
series showing trends and changes (Hindcast), (b) provide a description of the present
state of the sea, including marine living resources with optimal accuracy (Nowcast) and
(c) develop efficient data assimilation technique in the model to provide a description of
the future condition of the sea as far ahead as possible (Forecast)
Contribute to Weather/Monsoon/Climate forecast by providing forcing for Atmospheric
Models
Daily, monthly and seasonal thermo-haline field from Ocean model will help in forcing
atmospheric model in order to predict weather, monsoon and climate. Hourly fields for a
specific domain required for forcing meso-scale model for predicting cyclone intensity
and track, and decadal thermo-haline fields will help for long term monitoring of climate
and its change.
Understanding the variability of Ocean & Marine environment
Observing system will ever be so intensive that a mere contouring of the data would
present a usable product for most customers, since every user tends to need very local
site-specific information. By assimilating new data into numerical models, whenever
possible and generating products based on the diagnostics and predictions of the
models, Numerical model will deliver high quality information whilst keeping observation
costs within practical limits.
The data acquired from ocean observations will be used in a wide range of ocean
models to summarize the best quantitative understanding of different processes
operating in the oceans and their interactions. Since the models are the most concise
and complete representation about state of knowledge on ocean processes, they will
serve as a link between observations and advance its ability to predict future ocean
conditions.
Simulation experiment to optimize the observation system
Modeling is required to understand where and what frequency the sensors and platforms
are required to deploy to capture better spatial and temporal sampling to resolve
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scientific objective. This simulation experiments will also help in cost-benefit analysis for
limited observations for optimal ways in a realistic budget. Though the ocean will always
be under sampled, Models containing a proper representation of the ocean with
assimilating data can supplement and extend observational data that are necessarily
limited in space or time.
The estimated fund requirement in this project is Rs.30.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
7.30 5.90 5.70 5.85 5.25 30.00
3.15.2.2 Satellite Oceanography
Technology transfer of Species specific PFZ forecast (Tuna) as well as Wind-based
Forecast for operationalisation at INCOIS
R & D being pursued at SAC as part of X Plan under SATCORE project will be
operationalised at INCOIS after necessary validation and technology transfer.
Technology transfer of Advanced OSF for operationalisation at INCOIS
R & D being pursued at SAC as part of X Plan under SATCORE project will be
operationalised at INCOIS and NRSA after necessary validation and technology transfer
Mount efforts for retrieval of geophysical parameters from Oceansat 2, Megha-
Tropiques, RISAT and other Foreign Satellites
Several ocean remote sensing satellites are planned for launch during the XI Plan period
by India and other space agencies. Some of them are Oceansat-II, Risat,
Meghatrophiques, SMOS, etc. with various sensors for ocean and atmospheric
applications. It is necessary to develop appropriate methodologies for atmospheric
corrections and retrieval of geophysical parameters from radiometers, Scatterometer,
Altimeter and Radars instruments. Also, it is imperative to develop regional algorithms
for better retrieval accuracies in the Indian Seas.
Mount studies using high-resolution satellite data (Resourcesat, Cartosat, etc) for
coastal processes, coastal habitat mapping, etc
Data from high resolution satellites need to be fruitfully utilized to study coastal
processes and coastal habitats. This data will be useful to prepare coastal zone maps
and disaster management.
R&D for incorporating additional parameters in PFZ Forecast; Species-specific forecast
(Sardines, etc);
It is known that Mixed Layer Depth information is very important for identification of
Potential Fishing Zones. This will provide information on thermal fronts in the vertical
domain as well as will be useful for operation of Fishing gear. Hence it is imperative to
pursue R&D during XI Plan in this direction.
Make satellite data products available at appropriate spatial & temporal resolutions
Satellite data fields such as wind, sea surface height anomaly, SST, chlorophyll, etc
need to be archived and made available for use in Ocean modelling.
Financial Requirement : Rs.30.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
5.00 6.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 30.00
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3.15.3 Ocean Observations
INCOIS has taken up the following International responsibilities during X plan period and
these need to sustained further in the XI Plan with appropriate enhance Financial and
Manpower support:
• Regional Argo Coordination and Argo Data Centre for Indian Ocean
• Indian Ocean GOOS: IOGOOS is the regional alliance for Global Ocean
Observing System in the Indian Ocean with 25 Institutions form 14 Countries as
Members. INCOIS is the Secretariat of IOGOOS during 2002 – 2008.
• NODC/IODE: National Oceanographic Data Centre, a centralized facility that
provides continuous ocean data/Information in usable form to a wide user
community.
Further, keeping in view the responsibilities of INCOIS, we need to have collaboration
with other major international programmes/bodies such JCOMM, GODAE, IOCCG,
IOTWS, etc.
Oceans play a significant role in the national development process as (a) the driving
force for the monsoons, (b) a potential source for food, drug and energy, (c) a cost-
effective medium for transport and (d) a strategic space. Disasters such as cyclones
originate in oceanic region. Knowledge and information about the oceanic processes is
of paramount importance in (a) improved forecast of weather and climate, (b) harvesting
the marine living resources consistent with the principles of sustainable development, (c)
development and management of the coastal seas and (d) preservation of critical
marine and coastal ecosystems.
Further, combined marine meteorological and oceanographic advisories and services,
generated with the above knowledge base and enabling technologies (such as IT) need
to be delivered to a wide range of users, satisfying the economic, social and political
needs of the country. An Ocean Information Bank accessible to the scientific community
and operational agencies in real-time or near-real time is imperative for enrichment of
knowledge base and effective generation of forecasts and advisory services.
MOOD has dedicated programmes for Ocean Observation, Ocean modelling, Ocean
Information and Advisory Services. MOOD has institutional arrangements for
implementing these programmes through its autonomous institutions. Ocean
observations programmes include Argo profiling floats, moored buoys, drifting buoys,
XBT lines, Current meter moorings, Ships of opportunity and observations using
dedicated research vessels (CRV, ORV and FORV). Currently, INCOIS is the nodal
agency for implementation of Drifting Buoys, Current Meter Moorings, XBT’s, Ships of
Opportunity and Argo Floats through NIO and NIOT. Ocean modelling activities are
implemented through INCOIS as part of INDOMOD project with participation from
premier national Institutions aimed at understanding the Ocean dynamics and
thermodynamics of Indian Ocean. Operational services such as Potential fishing zone
advisories and Ocean state forecast are being provided by INCOIS.
GOOS is an internationally coordinated system for systematic operational data collection
(measurements), data analysis, exchange of data and data products, and technology
development and transfer. The objective of GOOS is to ensure the establishment of a
permanent system of global and systematic observations adequate for forecasting
climate variability and change; for assessing the health or the state of the marine
environment and its resources, including the coastal zone; and for supporting an
improved decision-making and management process, which takes into account potential
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natural and man-made changes in the environment and their effects on human health
and marine resources.
The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) is a GOOS pilot project that
is a practical demonstration of near-real-time, global ocean data assimilation that
provides, regular, complete descriptions of the temperature, salinity and velocity
structures of the ocean in support of operational oceanography, seasonal-to-decadal
climate forecasts and analyses, and oceanographic research.
Satellite Data Calibration and Validation Sites
Several ocean remote sensing satellites are being planned for launch during the XI plan
period by India and other space agencies. Some of them are Oceansat-II, Risat,
Meghatrophiques, SMOS, etc. with various sensors for ocean and atmospheric
applications. These data sets need to be continuously validated, which calls for
dedicated platforms with necessary in-situ sensors.
SOOP Lines
Though the efforts and investments in ocean data collection are huge, the available data
from the aforementioned observational systems are still inadequate to draw meaningful
conclusions on annual and inter-annual variability. Hence, additional observational
systems and other possibilities also need to be explored to enhance the data availability
from the oceans. To obtain surface meteorological data (air temperature, SST, relative
humidity, atmospheric pressure, radiation, winds etc.), automated weather systems
(AWS) may be installed onboard commercial ships if they volunteer to carry them around
in the Indian Ocean during their voyages. This will provide sufficient surface data on
synoptic scales.
INCOIS will be the prime agency for implementation of the scheme in active
collaboration with the following institutions/agencies for each of the modules
Potential Fishing Zones
SAC, NRSA, FSI, State Fisheries Departments, Academia, other central research
institutions, NGO’s
Ocean State Forecast
NCMRWF, NIO, NIOT, ICMAM, SAC, DNOM, Coast guard, Navy, Shipping & Oil
Industry, Academia
Early Warning for Tsunami & Storm Surges
IMD, SOI, NIOT, ICMAM, ISRO, NRSA, NIO, NGRI, BARC, Academia, MHA
Value-added Services including Consultancy Projects
NIOT, NIO
Ocean Information Bank and Web-based Dissemination
Active Collaboration with all the institutions implementing Ocean Observing systems in
the Indian Ocean and other National/Global Data Centres
Ocean Modelling and Data Assimilation
CAOS, IIT-D, IITM, NIO, NPOL, NRSA, C-MMACS, NCMRWF.
Establish international knowledge networking with GOOS and GODAE Centres/
Satellite Oceanography
Schemes will be taken up with joint funding from DOS and MOOD under the direction of
NNRMS-Standing Committee on Ocean Resources. Active Collaboration with SAC,
NRSA, NIO etc. will be ensured for implementation
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Ocean Observations
NIOT and NIO as well as Academia
Financial Requirement : Rs.85.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
25.50 17.00 15.50 14.25 12.75 85.00
3.15.4 R&D, infrastructure and Capacity Building
In order to maintain the computer systems in good working condition and 100% up time,
the operation and maintenance of computer systems, equipment, peripherals, and
networking needs to be continued. Further the procurement of high end servers, storage
systems, Web and data base servers, Networking components, e-library etc are required
to cater the XI Plan programmes
Technical Support Services (TSS) which include operation, maintenance and up-
gradation of electrical, AC plants, Security, House keeping, Canteen, transport, etc
would be needed.
It is proposed to construct residential accommodation, Hostel and Guest house in the
INCOIS campus essentially to cater to the staff working for 24x7 operations,
research/Project staff and Guests. This is an essential requirement since INCOIS is
located at the outskirts of the City.
INCOIS will pursue R & D projects that will especially support its operational activities
and other cutting edge science programmes of national relevance. These projects will be
taken up in association with institutions/academia with core competence in the relevant
areas. One such study that is planned to be taken up in the XI Plan is the Integrated
study of Biogeochemical processes in the Northern Indian Ocean. The focus will be to
enhance observations that are relevant to identify the bio-geochemical processes and its
impact on climate change.
To pursue the proposed programmes, it is highly essential to build capability in core
scientific areas such as Ocean Modelling, Data Assimilation, etc for which it is proposed
to have collaborations with premier national/international centres for exchange
programmes.
While it is proposed to induct core manpower for pursuing the XI plan activities of
INCOIS, it is imperative to impart necessary training to the project personnel to be
positioned on projects at INCOIS and collaborating institutions.
It is proposed to improve awareness on Oceans among the general public, School
Student, Colleges, etc. This could be done by conducting lectures, exhibitions, publicity
material, etc aimed at specific target groups.
Budget: Rs.75.00 crore.
2008-
2007-08 09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
R & D in Ocean 25.00
Science 5.00 6.00 6.00 5.00 3.00
INCOIS- 50.00
Infrastructure
development and
capacity building 8.00 12.00 10.00 11.00 9.00
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3.16 Sea Front Facilities
The Ministry of Ocean Development is implementing various oceanography research
related programmes (both scientific and technology development). The major
programmes of the ministry are implemented by its autonomous institutes like NIOT,
Chennai; NCAOR, Goa and INCOIS, Hyderabad and two attached offices like ICMAM,
Chennai and CMLRE, Kochi. The Ministry is also in the process of formulation of XI plan
programmes and its major programmes have been proposed to be taken up duringthe
next plan. The technology development work mainly would be taken up by NIOT,
Chennai which needs various sea-front facilities for creation of integration bay, test
ponds, test bed for tow vehicles, mariculture and research labs, etc.
A number of major technology demonstration programmes are given below:
i. Energy / Fresh Water
ii. Costal Process and Modelling
iii. Oceanographic Hydrographic and Geophysical Surveys
iv. Design of Offshore Structures
v. Development of submersibles
vi. Deep Sea Mining Activities
vii. Gas Hydrates Programme
viii. Integrated Sustained Ocean Observation Network (ISOON)
ix. Argo Programme
x. Programme on Ocean Science and Technology for Islands
xi. Vessel Management Cell
xii. Oceanographic Instrumentation
xiii. Marine Sensors and Electronics
xiv. Ocean Acoustics
The above said programmes are initiated in the X Five Year Plan and going to geared up
in XI Five Year Plan.
The special facilities need to carryout the above activities are given below:
• Berthing facilities for Research vessels
• Test Ponds, Test bed for tow vehicles etc.,
• Desalination research laboratory
• Ocean acoustic laboratory
• Mariculture and research labs.
• Deep sea mining facilities
• Validation platform (Test reference area in the sea for vehicle platform,
Sample Instrument Platform etc.,)
• Transit facilities such as Large Guest House for scientists, research
fellows etc.,
• External and Internal service facilities and other peripheral facilities.
The scope of the work for the present proposal is to create a sea front facility to meet the
research requirements of various programmes of NIOT. The work includes identifying
the land having sea front area, procurement of Land, establishing sea front facility with
external services.
Objectives
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To establish sea front facility to carry out the above activities are as follows
Berthing facilities for Research vessels
• Test Ponds, Test bed for tow vehicles etc.,
• Desalination research laboratory
• Ocean acoustic laboratory
• Mariculture and research labs.
• Deep sea mining facilities
• Validation platform (Test reference area in the sea for vehicle platform, Sample
Instrument Platform etc.,)
• Transit facilities such as Large Guest House for scientists, research fellows etc.,
• External and Internal service facilities and other peripheral facilities.
Implementing Agency : NIOT
Budget : Rs 200 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
25.745 64.045 42.29 37.92 30.00
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4. New programmes
4.1. Expedition in the Arctic
In the modern world, the problem of political, economical, military – strategic,
scientific and demographic characters are apparently closely interrelated in Polar
Regions. As far as Antarctic and surrounding regions are concerned, India has strongly
underlined her presence in Antarctic matters. However, so far the Northern hemisphere
has not been paid attention by Indian scientific community. The Arctic region offers
many scientific challenges. The Arctic is of special importance to the world. Due to
climate changes such as; sea ice changes, coastal erosion and the thawing permafrost.
Arctic is changing rapidly and thus climatic changes in this region present a major and
growing challenges to the world scientific community at large. Possible changes in the
global oceanic circulations, changes in storm intensity, and abrupt changes in
temperature could also pose a threat to Arctic region. Since any change in extreme
Northern hemisphere (Arctic region) affect the global climate, sea level, biodiversity etc.
therefore any human induced changes in Arctic are being widely felt. World wide
scientific community is embarking upon these regions to assess the impact of climatic
changes.
The understanding of climatic changes in the Arctic region and their
consequences on global climate changes has relevance to Indian subcontinent as well.
Therefore, efforts need to be initiated to address some of these scientific challenges in
details. It is therefore proposed that during the ensuing XI Five Year Plan concrete
efforts need to be made to launch the First Indian Scientific Expedition to the Arctic and
future emphasis would be laid on bi-hemispheric approach in understanding the vital
issues related to environment/climatic changes. Accordingly efforts will also be made to
initiate scientific programmes in the Arctic realm in consonance with the international
endeavors in the Arctic being mounted under the Svalbard Treaty, SCAR etc.
Implementing Agency : NCAOR
Financial Requirement : Rs. 46. 00 crore
D - Expedition to the 2007- 2008-09 2009- 2010- 2011- Total,
Arctic 08 10 11 12 Rs.
crore
1. Chartering of expedition 0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 24.00
vessel/own vessel and
Chartering of helicopters
2. Procurement of various 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 3.00
scientific equipments
3. Logistics support (team 0.00 0.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 9.00
mobilization, food,
clothing etc.)
4. Collaborative programs 5.00 5.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00
to be mounted with other
Arctic Teams in
Spitzbergen (to be
undertaken during the 1st
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and third years of the
Plan)
Total 5.00 5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 46.00
4.2 Desalination project
The main focus of this programme is to develop technologies for tapping renewable
energies and generating fresh water from the ocean. NIOT has already demonstrated a
desalination plant at Kavaratti Island with the capacity of 1 lakh litre per day and also 1
million litre per day barge mounted LTTD plant was successfully commissioned. In the XI
plan, it is proposed to establish an offshore plant with 25 million liter per day capacity.
This technology has advantages over conventional technologies like reverse osmosis
such as easy operation and maintenance, low scaling, fouling etc
Objectives
• To establish an offshore plant with capacity of about 25 MLD
Implementing Agency : NIOT
Total Financial Requirement : 204.65 crores
(a) Budget: Rs. 150.00 crores
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010
5.00 120.00 25.00
(b) Offshore structures Budget Rs.54.65 crore
(Rs. in crores)
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012
2.0 20.0 18.0 8.0 6.65
4.3 MLR and FORV Sea Front Facilities and Infrastructure
4.3.1 Dedicated berthing and associated facilities
CMLRE will have to co-ordinate all the national programmes funded by MoOD through
CMLRE in the mean future. For this purpose considerable expansion both in
infrastructure facilities and scientific, technical and managerial personnel are anticipated.
Keeping these objectives in mind the following proposals are submitted for physical
facilities in the area of land and buildings.
Land & Building: The CMLRE is functioning at present from an central pool
building of the CPWD at Kakkanad. The office is provided with 750 sq.mt. area on the
6th floor of the said building. This office is approximately 25 kms away from the
waterfront, where FORV Sagar Sampada reaches after every cruise. This makes the
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transport of samples, maintenance of live culture etc and coordination of FORV activities
extremely difficult. Further, Fishing gears and accessories etc are stored in a godown at
Mattanchery (35 kms from the present office). Similarly, as against the requirement of
approximately 4000 sq.m. area for the effective functioning of the Centre, the area
available now is only 750 sq.m.
The CMLRE has approached GCDA(Greater Cochin Development Authority) to
obtain land near the water front at the Valarpadam area. The construction cost of the
Dedicated berthing and associated facilities of Rs. 23.50 crores.
Budget: Rs. 23.50 crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
4.70 7.05 5.88 3.52 2.35 23.50
Implementing Agency : CMLRE
4.3.2 Vessel Requirements
The Expert Committee constituted by the Department to work out the vessel
requirements of MOOD had recommended research and coastal fishery Oceanographic
vessels to meet the requirements of MLR Schemes.
However, during the meeting for formulation of XI plan programme held at New Delhi on
19.11.2005, it was decided that the vessel requirements for southern ocean MLR
surveys be met by chartering of vessels and to restrict the number of coastal fishery
oceanographic vessels. Accordingly, budget has been proposed as under:
Implementing Agency : CMLRE
Budget: Rs. 250. 00 crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
30.00 70.00 80.00 50.00 20.00 250.00
4.4 National Oceanarium
As a logical sequel towards the creation of a scientific temper in ocean sciences
amongst children, the demand of the hour is for the development of a dedicated
Oceanarium in the country. This necessarily would require the involvement of private
enterprise who are already involved in real estate development and entertainment
industry of the country as major stakeholders. The government has already evolved
clear guidelines for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the infrastructure sector. This
part of ocean science infrastructure is badly missing and immediate steps ought to be
taken to redress the lacunae in our economy. The main objective of this programme is to
make learning about the oceans a family experience by means of promoting science
tourism so that young children are motivated to opt for an ocean career later on as
adults. The government would provide seed capital and the expertise to the interested
parties under this scheme.
Budget : Rs. 100.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
10.00 40.00 40.00 5.00 5.00 100.00
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4.5 Demonstration of Shore Protection Measures through Pilot
Project
During X plan, the projects on Shoreline Management and Management of Tidal Inlets
to understand the cause of erosion and siltation were initiated at inlets along the Indian
coast. The experiences of the studies indicate that the two major areas of research are
Protection of coast from Erosion caused by natural and man-made interventions
through systematic understanding of the process responsible for its cause
Prevention of Siltation at tidal inlets through analysis the dynamics of tidal inlets,
which accounts forces from land as well as sea
The feedback from implementation of the projects on Shoreline Management and
Management of Tidal Inlets during the X Plan and the outcome of the brain storming
session conducted involving various State/Central Government Departments reveal the
need of integrated shore protection strategies on site to site basis, where local
hydrodynamics and coastal morphology is taken into account. The project will be
implemented through pilot project at selected sites along the Indian Coast and its
performance is monitored.
Objectives
To develop shore protection/stabilization strategies that have minimum cross
impact on adjacent coast, considering natural coastal processes and geomorphological
setting of the site.
To evaluate the performance of the shore protection strategy for its repeatability
at other locations
To develop wave information atlas required for shoreline management
Major components of the project
• To assess the present status of coastal defence and identification of vulnerable
areas of erosion
• Identification of socioeconomic implications of erosion/siltation
• Monitoring processes responsible for erosion/siltation such as waves, tides,
currents, sediment characteristics, beach profiles and morphology etc.,
• Development of strategies (Shoreline Management Plan) for coastal protection or
prevention of siltation through model and prediction of its cross impacts
• Design of flexible structure that can be adaptable to changes in process or
strategy or to be removed.
• Testing of the Structure for its stability through Physical Model
• Installation of Structure at field
• Monitoring the condition and performance of proposed coastal defence strategy,
to assess their interaction with coastal processes to carry out strategic forward
planning of maintenance, upgrading and replacement
• Developing methodology for implementation these techniques which can be used
by local authorities for protection of coast/ prevention of siltation at other locations
Implementing Agency : NIOT
Budget: Rs.270.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
54.00 81.00 67.50 40.50 27.00 270.00
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4.6 Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research
program established in October 2003 that explores Earth's history and structure
recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and monitors sub-seafloor environments.
IODP builds upon the earlier successes of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP, 1968-
1983 using the Glomar Challenger) and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP, 1985-2003 using
the riserless vessel JOIDES Resolution), which revolutionized our view of Earth history
and global processes through ocean basin exploration. IODP greatly expands the reach
of these previous programs by using multiple drilling platforms, including riser, riserless,
and mission-specific, to achieve its scientific goals.
The IODP Science Plan: IODP’s scientific objectives are organized into three major
themes: The Deep Biosphere and the Subseafloor Ocean; Environmental Change,
Processes and Effects; and Solid Earth Cycles and Geodynamics. Within these three
themes, the following eight initiatives have been identified that are ready to be
addressed within the first decade of IODP drilling:
• Deep Biosphere
• Extreme Climates
• Rapid Climate Change
• Continental Breakup and Sedimentary Basin Formation
• Large Igneous Provinces
• Gas Hydrates
• 21st Century Mohole
• Seismogenic Zone
Against the above background of IODP operations and science plan and in the context
of the front-ranking scientific endeavors being planned/being undertaken by the country
in the ocean domain, it is felt that there is an imperative need for India to be in the
forefront of the consortium of nations involved in oceanographic research. This could be
sought to be achieved by the country’s membership in the IODP.
Objectives:
Development of a science plan and initiation of deep-drilling through the IODP, in at
least three scientifically significant sites, one each in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal
and in the western Andamans.
In the context of our ongoing exercise of delineation of the outer limits of the Indian
continental shelf, an immense amount of invaluable marine geophysical data has been
collected. The dataset will not only help not only to substantiate the country’s endeavors
at defining the outer limits of her continental shelf, but will also form the cornerstone of
our future scientific forays into the marine domain. As a sequel to the LCS programme,
a comprehensive study of the geological and tectonic evolution of the Arabian Sea and
the Bay of Bengal basins of the northern Indian sector is being proposed to be initiated
during the XI Plan period. The deep-coring upto the basement will be of immense
advantage in constraining the geophysical data both for the LCS purposes as well as for
the studies planned during the XI plan period.
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Compared to the exhaustive deep-sea drilling data available for the oceans the world
over, the Arabian Sea-Bay of Bengal sectors are marked by very few DSDP/ODP
operations. The lack of critical basement data has been a major constraint in our
endeavors at unraveling the history of the geological evolution of our ocean basins.
The IODP being a very recent international program, with the first riser-vessel due to be
put in operation only by 2007, this would provide India with a unique opportunity to be a
part of the international oceanographic fraternity.
Scientific participation in IODP programs anywhere in the world is largely restricted to
scientists from member nations, excepting in cases where the drilling operations are in
the contiguous sea of a non-member nation. Indian membership in IOPD will therefore
provide a more effective participation of Indian scientists in international endeavors.
With our envisaged plans for initiating scientific programs in the Arctic region during the
XI Plan period, membership in IODP will provide an avenue for Indian participation in the
mission-specific operations being undertaken in the Arctic.
The major initiatives of the IODP such as the Gas Hydrates, paleo-climatologcial studies,
Continental Breakup, Large Igneous Provinces and Seismogenic Zone are in fact some
of our current/proposed thrust areas of research. Currently, only ODP technology is
capable of retrieving and maintaining gas hydrates samples from the subseafloor marine
environment at in situ pressures.
As one of its inaugural activities, IODP is planning to drill through a seismogenic fault
zone to characterize the composition, deformation microstructures and physical
properties of the rocks at in situ conditions. This assumes significance in the context of
our plans to undertake a study of the tsunami generating areas off the Western
Andamans.
It is proposed to implement the program in two stages:
1. Initiation of action for Indian membership in IODP. This could be a National
initiative.
2. Constitution of a core group to bring out an initial science plan prioritizing the
deep-sea drilling in the Bay of Bengal/Arabian Sea/western Andamans. Since
the drilling programs of IODP are finalized years in advance, the detailed science
program needs to be generated at the earliest, if the first deep-sea drilling
operations under the Indian initiative are to be undertaken during the XI Plan
period.
It is envisaged that the initiative for Indian involvement in IODP would start during 2006-
07 and that the formalities would be completed before the start of the XI Plan period.
Concurrently with this initiative, the Initial Science Plan document would be readied.
Once these initial activities are completed, the scientific programme for Ocean Drilling
could be finalized. The actual dates for the initiation of drilling program are however,
subjected to the acceptance of the Indian proposal and time-slotting by the IODP.
Implementing Agency : NCAOR
Financial Requirement: Rs. 100 crores
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2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total, Rs.
Details
08 09 10 11 12 crore
1. Assoc. membership n
IODP 5.00 5.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 55.00
2. Expenses towards
scientific projects to be
taken up 0.00 13.00 5.00 10.00 17.00 45.00
Total 5.00 18.00 20.00 25.00 32.00 100.00
4.7 Construction of an Ice-class Research Vessel for
Oceanographic studies
Ever since the First Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, India has been
depending on chartered ice-class vessels or ice-breakers for catering to the entire gamut
of expedition related activities. However, considering the fact that the vessels were
primarily meant for the transportation of men and material from India/Cape Town to
Antarctica and back, The ships chartered over the years have been mainly freight
container vessels with accommodation/space for the crew and expeditioners. The lack
of oceanographic equipment and laboratory space on such vessels has prevented the
participant scientists from carrying out any underway oceanographic/ hydrographic
measurements during the ships transit to and from Antarctica. With the proposed plans
for undertaking multidisciplinary scientific programmes in the Southern Ocean, initiation
of activities during establishment of a new permanent Indian base in the Larsemann hills
and plans to expand Indian scientific endeavors to the Arctic region/northern
hemisphere, it is felt that its time for India to have her own Ice class research vessel
which will (a) serve as a medium for transportation of men and material to Antarctica; (b)
serve as a platform for the Indian scientists to undertake oceanographic studies in the
sub Artic and sub Antarctic regions and (c) serve the needs of the Indian scientific
community year-round in the tropical waters as well as in the sea-ice conditions of the
polar regions.
Implementing Agency : NCAOR
FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total,
Details 08 09 10 11 12 Rs.
crore
1. Construction of the vessel 10.00 50.00 200.00 60.00 30.00 350.00
2. Instrumentation/ 0.00 25.00 50.00 25.00 0.00 100.00
deck machinery
Total 40.00 150.00 225.00 30.00 5.00 450.00
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4.7 Headquarter Building
The Ocean Development subject of the ministry is significant considering the coastline of
over 7500 km length and about 2.02 million sq. km area within the Exclusive Economic
Zone that offers immense scope for exploration and exploitation of the living and non-
living resources. The vastness, complexity and uncertainty of the ocean environment
calls for a coordinated, centralised and highly sophisticated development response. The
Department of Ocean Development (DOD) was created in July 1981 as a nodal and
independent department under the direct charge of PM for organising, coordinating and
promoting ocean development activities. While the Department has grown manifold and
has now major 16 programmes and converted into a full-fledged Ministry of Ocean
Development in the beginning of 2006, (which later changed into Ministry of Earth
Sciences) there is no increase in the infrastructure allocated to the Department since its
establishment. The present requirement is of full-fledged Building with a campus in
Central Delhi of about 15000 sq. m for Ocean Developmental activities The present
space in the Ministry is about 1300 sq m.
Budget estimate of Rs. 50 crore is projected for the purpose.
Budget: Rs.50.00 crore.
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 TOTAL
5.00 20.00 20.50 3.50 1.00 50.00
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5. Manpower Development
5.1 It is evident from the XI plan proposals that manifold growth in the multifarious
programmes and capacity building relating to our oceans The Department of Ocean
Development has come long way since its inception 1981. It has many achievements to
its credit and it has contributed in several ways to 7500 km long coastline and over 7
million coastal fishing community of the country. The challenge before us to understand
the oceans in totality for the benefit of national economy and welfare of ocean
dependent society. The plan allocations for the Department has been steadily growing
consistent with these expectations.
5.2 However, the Department and its autonomous Institutions have been functioning
with a severe constraint of inadequate manpower. Being a young Department and with
its recently established autonomous Institutions, it is essential to ensure that the
Department has the core critical mass of scientific, technical and administrative
manpower as well as is able to attract and retain, competent Scientists and Technocrats
as Directors of these autonomous Institutions. It is noted however, that such growth in
scientific and technical manpower has not been commensurate with the increase in
projectised activities funded by the DOD. This aspect needs to be addressed in detail in
light of recent amalgamation of Ministry of Ocean Development and India Meteorological
Department and will be dealt separately.
5.3 The existing manpower (X plan) and projected manpower requirements as at the
end of the XI Five Year Plan is indicated for the 3 autonomous organizations at Table
5.1. It would be seen that in order to accomplish the objectives of the ambitious maritime
projects of the XI Plan, the existing skilled manpower will have to be increased
significantly during the next 5 years. The manpower projections relate to the 3
autonomous institutions under the Ministry along with the 2 attached offices and the
Headquarters set up of the Ministry. The approach to bridging the gaps in skilled
technical staff is indicated in this Chapter in a consolidated manner.
5.4 Though it is appreciated that the major build-up of scientific and technical
competencies in oceanic activities has to be from actual job experience in different
ongoing projects, it is being increasingly felt that core groups of systematically trained
people will have to be inducted on a continuing basis. A time has come when such
growth has to be institutionalized. By working out the gaps between the existing and
incremental manpower required in the future, the educational & training facilities can be
created/augmented accordingly. Only such gaps will have to be identified with the help
of specialists, as would be deployed on a continuing basis by the concerned Institutions
and not temporarily to meet the needs co-terminus with any individual project. It is also
imperative that the educational and training facilities to be augmented will have to be
more and more job oriented so that the candidates selected for such courses will have
the necessary motivation and career opportunities ahead of them. They should be able
to chart out meaningful service careers in Oceanography and related subjects.
5.5 The most practicable base for building institutional facilities for such training and
development will be the well established R&D Organisations like NIO, NCAOR or
Technical Institutions like NIOT etc. These are the service centers that are already
operating in the ocean-related activities. But for the purpose of conducting such
specialized educational/training courses, support from academic Institutions like IITs or
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University Depts, already dealing with these subjects or presently conducting graduate
level courses in marine sciences, needs to be sought and funded. The marine
Institutions can provide practical training and research facilities to these post-graduate
students. The graduate-level background qualifications to be prescribed for admission to
these specialized courses will have to be carefully worked out to suit the specializations
expected from these candidates when trained. Like wise, the training modules for
various courses in these facilities will have to be carefully evolved to meet the job
requirements called for. For certain specialized short term courses, candidates could
also be duly sponsored by the various organizations and after acquiring the required
specializations, these trained candidates will go back to the parent organizations and
man various projects.
5.6 The facilities to be actually created may have to be in excess of the actual
national requirement of trained technical manpower. Experience gained in the past in
building up skilled manpower in Shipping, I.T. etc. shows that there is bound to be a high
rate of turn-over of such skilled manpower, what with an ever increasing global demand
for such trained and experienced hands. In such cases, India has contributed liberally in
other fields to mutual benefit. In maritime courses in particular, we could perhaps tap the
international career opportunities for science graduates and engineers of Indian origin by
providing educational and training facilities in various technical disciplines, for which the
global demand at large is growing rapidly. India, being one of the pioneering countries
in ocean development, it is just as well that trained manpower of Indian origin is made
available for career pursuits in the international arena also. Of course, the primary
attention will be to cater to the indigenous requirement of additional manpower as
explained above.
5.7 Selected University Departments, autonomous technical institutions like IITs
would be persuaded to create/augment facilities for graduate level courses in ocean
related subjects. Taking a cue from what Department of Atomic Energy, Ministry of
Environment & Forests, etc. have been doing to build up adequate core competencies in
their respective fields, the same would be created in appropriate educational centres of
ocean science & technologies and specific courses and training facilities created. More
and more graduate level students would to attracted to pursue these career oriented
post graduate training courses and make a career in ocean sciences. Job orientation of
these post-graduate courses would be the key to success.
5.8 It is clearly understood that the development of human resources will necessarily
have to be institution-specific. In the instant case, most of the scientific and service
organizations working in this field are in the public domain. Thus, the necessary
guidance and financial support may have to be provided by the Ministry of Ocean
Development itself. The core facilities for such training and development would be
entrusted to relevant University Departments and will be adequately supported by the
Ministry. The field training facilities will be provided and staffed by the national
institutions like NIO, NIOT and other Organisations/Departments reporting to Ministry of
Ocean Development. Incidentally, bulk of the products from such augmented training
facilities are meant to cater to the growing needs of these organizations themselves but
not necessarily so.
5.9 In due course the development and management of our oceans may have to be
entrusted to a dedicated cadre as in the case of forest development. The intended
manpower developmne will be similar to the successful efforts made by Department of
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XI Plan Proposals
Atomic Energy and Department of Space.
TABLE 5.1 Manpower Requirement
Scientific and Admin Posts and TOTAL
Technical Posts Support staff
Current XI plan Current XI plan Current XI plan
Manpower Reqmt- Manpower Reqmt- Manpower Reqmt-
Additional Additional Additional
INCOIS, 25(38 ) 150 3(3 ) 26 28(41) 176
Hyderabad
NIOT, 66(115) 521+ 19( 24) 67+ 85(139) 588+
Chennai 12+25+25 4+5+5 16+30+30
*
NCAOR, 22(26 ) 154 19(24) 7 41(50) 161
Goa
PD- 10 (15 ) 13 7(8) 0 17 (23) 13
ICMAM
Chennai
CMLRE 12 (18) 30 6 (7) 20 18 (25) 50
Kochi
HQ DOD 17(25) 40 118 (122) 68 135(147) 108
Total 152(237) 908 +62 172 (188) 188+14 326(425) 1096+76
( ) indicates original sanctioned strength
* includes requirement of 62(12+25+25) scientific and technical posts and 14(4+5+5)
admn and support staff for island centre at Port Blair, West Bengal and Gujarat
respectively.
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6. Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan
(2007-2012)
I. CONTINUING SCHEME
Rs. In crores
S.No. Scheme 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010- 2011- Total
11 2012 Budget
Provision
in XI plan
1. Polar Science 0 0 0 0 0 0
1.1 Expeditions to 25.50 28.50 31.00 33.00 36.00 154.00
Antarctica – Polar
Sciences
2. Polymetallic Nodules 0 0 0 0 0 0
Programme
2.1 Survey and 2.00 5.00 5.00 3.00 2.70 17.70
Exploration
2.2 Environmental Impact 4.00 5.00 4.00 5.00 4.59 22.59
Assessment
2.3 Technology 10.00 25.00 10.00 6.00 5.48 56.48
Development
(Extractive
Metallurgy)
2.4 Technology 24 155 149 143 156 627
Development (Mining)
3. Ocean Observation 0 0 0 0 0 0
and Information
System(OOIS)
3.1 PFZ and integrated 8.60 10.10 8.10 7.10 6.10 40.00
PFZ, Tuna
forecast(35 cr.) and
user interactions(5
cr.)
3.2 Operational coastal 4.65 6.70 5.30 4.05 3.90 24.60
ocean wave & current
forecast
4 Marine Research and 0 0 0 0 0 0
Technology
Development
4.1 Assessment of Marine 19.39 29.09 24.25 14.57 9.7 97.00
Living Resources
4.2 Drugs from Sea 10.00 20.00 30.00 30.00 20.00 110.00
4.3 Assistance for 15.40 22.40 29.40 39.40 30.40 137.00
Research Projects
(OSTC & Manpower
Training)
4.4 Coastal Ocean 15.60 23.40 19.50 11.70 7.80 78.00
Monitoring and
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Prediction
system(COMAPS)
4.5 Exhibition, fairs 10.00 30.00 30.00 15.00 15.00 100.00
etc.(Ocean
awareness activities,
Seminars, Symposia,
Conferences,
Lectures, Debates
etc. )
4.6 Integrated Coastal 0 0 0 0 0 0
and Marine Area
Management
4.6.1 Vulnerability to 5.00 10.00 15.00 10.00 10.00 50.00
Shoreline changes,
Waste Assimilation
Capacity & Inundation
Modelling
4.6.2 Ecosystem Modelling 1.00 1.50 1.75 1.75 2.00 8.00
4.6.3 Marine Ecotoxicology 0.60 0.90 0.75 0.45 0.30 3.00
4.6.4 Coastal Risk Atlas 0.40 0.40 0.20 0 0 1.00
4.7 Marine Non-Living 0 0 0 0 0 0
Resources
(MNLR)
4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt 4.00 8.00 20.00 9.00 9.00 50.00
Crust Exploration
4.7.2 Geological Studies of 2.00 9.50 9.50 4.50 4.50 30.00
Indian Ocean Basin
4.7.3 Hydrothermal Sulfides 1.00 4.50 2.50 1.00 1.00 10.00
5.0 Information 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 20.00
Technology
6.0 Coastal Research 51.05 11.44 12.16 62.70 63.61 200.96
Vessels(CRV) & other
Research vessels
7.0 National Institute of 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ocean Technology
(NIOT)
7.1 Energy/Desalination 2.00 4.00 5.00 3.00 1.89 15.89
7.2 Deep Seabed Mining 22.00 26.00 28.00 26.00 23.00 125.00
7.3 Coastal & 40.0 60.0 60.0 40.0 25.0 225.00
Environmental Engg.
7.4 Marine 35.01 33.77 35.36 16.04 16.05 136.23
Instrumentation,
sensors, acoustics
7.5 Island Development 24.40 39.20 45.00 29.30 24.10 162.00
7.6 Argo * 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.7 Gas Hydrates* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.8 NDBP* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.9 Offshore operations* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.10 Offshore structures* 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.11 VMC* 0 0 0 0 0 0
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7.12 Capacity Building, 29.00 32.00 47.40 65.0 93.11 266.51
infrastructure etc
8 Delineation of Outer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 6.00
limits of Continental
Shelf
9 Comprehensive 5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 7.00 48.00
Topographic Surveys
10 Gas Hydrate 56.84 98.93 106.61 127.44 234.64 624.46
11 Acquisition of 110.00 15.00 0 0 0 125.00
Research Vessel
12 Data Buoy 66.85 86.05 106.00 65.95 42.24 367.09
programme/Integrated
Sustained Ocean
Observations
13 Tsunami & Storm 41.18 20.00 20.00 25.00 20.00 126.18
surges Warning
System
14 National Centre for 0 0 0 0 0 0
Antarctic and Ocean
Research(NCAOR)
14.1 Establishment of New 24.90 19.30 10.80 9.30 9.70 74.00
Permanent Indian
Base in Antarctica
14.2 Southern Ocean 7.50 5.50 10.00 7.50 11.50 42.00
Studies
14.3 In house R&D, 29.20 44.73 43.46 23.84 25.77 167.00
infrastructure,
capacity building at
NCAOR
15 Indian National 0 0 0 0 0 0
Centre for Ocean
Information Services
(INCOIS)
15.1 Information Bank and 1.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 10.00
Web-bases services
15.2 Ocean Science and 0 0 0 0 0 0
techniques
Development
15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and 7.30 5.90 5.70 5.85 5.25 30.00
data assimilation
15.2.2 Satellite 5.00 6.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 30.00
Oceanography
15.3 Ocean Observations 25.50 17.00 15.50 14.25 12.75 85.00
15.4 R&D in Ocean 13.00 18.00 16.00 16.00 12.00 75.00
Science and
Informations
16 Seafront facility 25.745 64.045 42.29 37.92 30.00 200.00
Total 790.615 1021.855 1031.53 938.61 995.08 4777.69
* indicates that while NIOT will be implementing agency the budget provision has been
made in the Ministry’s programmes
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2. NEW SCHEMES PROPOSED DURING XI PLAN
Rs. In crores
S.No. Scheme 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
2012 Budget
Provision
in XI plan
1. Expedition to 5.00 5.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 46.00
Arctic
2. Desalination 7.00 140.00 43.00 8.00 6.65 204.65
Project
3. MLR: vessel 34.70 77.05 85.88 53.52 22.35 273.50
requirement(Rs.
250 cr) and
Dedicated
berthing and
associated
facilities (Rs.
23.50 cr)
4. National 10.00 40.00 40.00 5.00 5.00 100.00
Oceanarium
5. Demonstration of 54.00 81.00 67.50 40.50 27.00 270.00
Shore Protection
measures through
Pilot project
6. Integrated Ocean 5.00 18.00 20.00 25.00 32.00 100.00
Drilling
Programme(IODP)
7. Ice class 40.00 150.00 225.00 30.00 5.00 450.00
Research vessel
8. Headquarter 25.00 20.00 2.50 1.50 1.00 50.00
Building
Total 180.70 531.05 495.88 175.52 111.00 1494.15
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Summary of Financial Requirement
Scheme 2007- 2008-09 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 10 11 12
OCEAN Continuing 790.615 1021.855 1031.53 938.61 995.08 4777.69
DEVELOPMENT
New 180.70 531.05 495.88 175.52 111.00 1494.15
Grand Total 971.315 1552.905 1527.41 1114.13 1106.08 6271.84
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ELEVENTH PLAN
2007-2012
WORKING GROUP DOCUMENT
VOLUME 3
(ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES)
Government of India
Ministry of Earth Sciences
2006
Ministry of Earth Sciences
XI Plan Proposals
VOLUME 1
S.No INDEX Page
No.
PREFACE 1
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
1.1 Ocean Development 4
1.2 Atmospheric Sciences 11
1.3 Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan (2007-2012) 20
A OCEAN DEVELOPMENT 20
B ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 24
1.4 Yearwise Summary of Financial Requirement 28
1.5 List of Members of the Expert Group 29
VOLUME 2
(OCEAN DEVELOPMENT)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
2.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 31
3.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 43
3.1 Polar Science 43
3.1.1 Polar Science & Antarctic Expedition 43
3.2 Polymetallic Nodules Programme 46
3.2.1 Survey and Exploration 46
3.2.2 Environmental Impact Assessment 47
3.2.3 Technology Development (Extractive Metallurgy) 47
3.2.4 Technology Development (Mining) 49
3.3 Ocean Observation and Information System(OOIS) 51
3.3.1 Ocean Advisory and Information Services 51
3.3.1.1 Potential Fishing Zones Advisories 51
3.3.1.2 Operational coastal ocean wave & current forecast 53
3.4 Marine Research and Technology Development 53
3.4.1 Assessment of Marine Living Resources 53
3.4.2 Drugs from Sea 60
3.4.3 Assistance for Research Projects (OSTC & Manpower Training) 61
3.4.4 Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction system(COMAPS) 66
3.4.5 Exhibition, fairs etc.(Ocean awareness activities, Seminars, Symposia, 66
Conferences, Lectures, Debates etc. )
3.4.6 Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management 71
3.4.6.1 Assessment of vulnerability due to shoreline changes 72
3.4.6.2 Determination of Waste Assimilation Capacity of coastal waters 72
3.4.6.3 Storm Surge Inundation Modelling 73
3.4.6.4 Ecosystem Modelling 73
3.4.6.5 Marine Ecotoxicology 73
3.4.6.6 Web GIS Based Coastal Risk Atlas 74
3.4.7 Marine Non-Living Resources(MNLR) 76
3.4.7.1 Studies of Cobalt Crust Exploration 76
3.4.7.2 Geological Studies of Indian Ocean Basin 78
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3.4.7.3 Studies of Hydrothermal Sulfides 81
3.5 Information Technology 82
3.6 Coastal Research Vessels(CRV) & other Research vessels 82
3.7 National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) 82
3.7.1 Energy and Fresh Water from Sea 83
3.7.2 Deep Seabed Mining 84
3.7.3 Coastal & Environmental Engg. 85
3.7.4 Marine Instrumentation, sensors, acoustics 86
3.7.5 Island Development 88
3.7.6 ARGO Floats 94
3.7.7 Gas Hydrates 95
3.7.8 National Data Buoy Programme (NDBP) 96
3.7.9 Offshore operations 97
3.7.10 Offshore structures 97
3.7.11 Vessel Management Cell (VMC) 98
3.7.12 Capacity Building, Infrastructure, operations etc 99
3.8 Delineation of Outer limits of Continental Shelf 100
3.9 Comprehensive Topographic Surveys 101
3.10 Studies on Gas Hydrates Exploration & Technology Development 102
for Its Assessment.
3.11 Acquisition of New Research Vessel 106
3.12 Data Buoy programme/Integrated Sustained Ocean Observations 107
3.13 Tsunami & Storm surges Warning System 109
3.14 National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research(NCAOR) 110
3.14.1 Establishment of New Permanent Indian Base in Antarctica 110
3.14.2 Southern Ocean Studies 111
3.14.3 In house R&D, infrastructure, capacity building at NCAOR 112
3.15 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) 114
3.15.1 Information Bank and Web-bases services 114
3.15.2 Ocean Science and techniques Development 116
3.15.2.1 Ocean Modelling and data assimilation 116
3.15.2.2 Satellite Oceanography 117
3.15.3 Ocean Observations 118
3.15.4 R&D, Infrastructure and Capacity Building 120
3.16 Seafront facility 121
4.0 NEW SCHEMES 123
4.1 Expedition to the Arctic 123
4.2 Desalination Project 124
4.3 MLR: sea front facility (Rs. 23.50 cr) and vessel requirement(Rs. 250 124
cr)
4.4 National Oceanarium 125
4.5 Demonstration of Shore Protection measures through Pilot project 126
4.6 Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme 127
4.7 Ice class Research vessel 129
4.8 Infrastructure 130
5.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT 131
6.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 134
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VOLUME 3
(ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES)
S.No INDEX Page
No.
7.0 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE X PLAN 139
7.1 IMD 139
7.2 NCMRWF 147
7.3 IITM 150
8.0 CONTINUING SCHEMES 156
8.1 India Meteorological Department(IMD) 156
8.1.1 Space Meteorology 160
8.1.2 Meteorological Telecommunication 161
8.1.3 Observational System 162
8.1.4 Instrumentation Development 163
8.1.5 Cyclone Warning & Research 163
8.1.6 Forecasting Services 164
8.1.7 Aviation Services 165
8.1.8 Hydro Met Services 165
8.1.9 Agro Met Services 166
8.1.10 Seismology 166
8.1.11 Seismic Hazard & Risk Evaluation 168
8.1.12 Environmental Studies 168
8.1.13 Research 169
8.1.14 Human Resource Development 170
8.1.15 National / International Cooperation 170
8.1.16 Infrastructural Development and maintenance 171
8.2 National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting 171
(NCMRWF)
8.2.1 Global Modeling and Data Assimilation System 172
8.2.2 Mesoscale Prediction System 175
8.2.3 Extended Range /Seasonal Prediction System 176
8.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure and Services 177
8.2.5 Agromet Advisory 178
8.3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) 182
8.3.1 Asian Monsoon Variability and Predictability 182
8.3.2 Application of Satellite Data in Weather Fore-casting and Large-Scale 183
Hydrological Modelling
8.3.3 Short-Term Climate Diagnostics and Prediction 184
8.3.4 Cloud Modelling 184
8.3.5 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics 184
8.3.6 Aerosol and Climate Studies 185
9.0 NEW SCHEMES 187
9.1 IMD 187
9.1.1 District Meteorological Information Centres 187
9.1.2 Early Warning System 187
9.1.3 Climate Research & Monitoring 188
9.2 NCMRWF 189
9.2.1 Satellite Radiance Data Assimilation System 189
9.2.2 Climate Modeling System 190
9.2.3 Environmental Prediction System 191
9.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure Upgradation 192
9.2.5 Infrastructure Development and other facilities 192
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9.3 IITM 194
9.3.1 Dynamical Prediction System of Seasonal Mean Monsoon Rainfall 195
9.3.2 Extended- Range Prediction of Active and Break Spells of the Monsoon 196
9.3.3 Science of Climate Change and Monsoon 196
9.3.4 Urban Air pollution and Transport Modelling 197
9.3.5 High Performance Computer 197
9.3.6 Observation Programmes for Studies of Interaction between Clouds 198
and their Environment including acquisition of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning Network
• Atmospheric Pollution Prediction System
• GPS Radiosonde
9.3.7 Training Programme 200
9.3.8 Information System in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences 201
10.0 MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT) 202
11.0 SCHEME WISE OUTLAYS FOR XI FIVE YEAR PLAN (2007-2012) 204
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7. Achievements during X Plan (2002-07)
7.1 India Meteorological Department (IMD)
Under the successive five year plans, IMD has endeavored consciously and
systematically to meet the growing and varying user’s demands by upgrading its infra-
structure, including contemporary technology and generating quality products and
services. The Thrust areas of X th Plan were as follows:
1. Space Meteorology
2. Metorological Telecommunication
3. Observational System
4. Cyclone Warning and Research
5. Forecasting System
6. Service oriented schemes (Aviation, Agriculture)
7. Research
8. Seismology
9. Human Resource Development
10. National/ International cooperation
11. Positional astronomy
12. Infrastructure Development
Some of the major achievements of IMD in the tenth Plan period are highlighted below:
7.1.1 Space Meteorology
A new National Satellite Data Centre (NSDC) has been established at IMD, New
Delhi. All types of satellite data and products are being archived in this center for
utilization by different users. Web-based service is also being provided for easy access
of data and products to the users. Old INSAT data of more than last 25 years archived
on 30,000 magnetic tapes has been transcribed on latest media i.e. Digital Linear Tapes
(DLTs) which are being integrated with NSDC.
100 nos. of Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination Systems (DCWDS) have
been established in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, as part of the World Bank
funded project of Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, for direct reception of cyclone warnings in
local language to the coastal areas likely to be affected by the cyclones. This is a direct
satellite based broadcast service operating through Indian Satellite INSAT-3C. Uplink
for transmission of cyclone warnings to the satellite has been established at Area
Cyclone Warning Centre (ACWC), Chennai.
A new scheme on establishment of a ground segment for reception and
processing of meteorological data from advanced meteorological payloads on the next
satellite of INSAT-3 series i.e. INSAT-3D, has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs.
37.59 crores. Two MOUs have been signed with M/s ANTRIX Corporation, the
commercial wing of ISRO, for establishment of earth station and data processing
segments sometimes before end of 2007 by which time INSAT-3D satellite is also
expected to be launched. This scheme will, therefore, be implemented with a very high
priority right from the beginning of 11th Five Year Plan period.
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7.1.2 Meteorological Telecommunications
Four old and obsolete Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) computers
operating at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were replaced with new state-of-
art systems to improve the efficiency of generating aviation related meteorological
products for operational use. Old HF broadcast service was replaced with new satellite
based broadcast service using L-band. In addition, 3 international circuits were
upgraded to 64 Kbps links for better efficiency of operations.
Four new schemes viz. Replacement of old RTH, new AMSS for Guwahati and
Nagpur, data terminals for remote stations and new Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) were approved by the CMAS. These are currently under implementation.
7.1.3 Observational System
The Department has made concerted efforts to modernize its basic observatory
network. While the aim is to maximize the number of Departmental observatories,
financial and staff constraints have come in the way of its realization. During the 10th
Plan more thrust has been given to the automation of observations. With this approach
it has been possible to collect meteorological data from a limited number of remote and
inaccessible areas in real-time using the satellite based transponder. After having
established the usefulness of data obtained by this means, the Department has gone
ahead with the replacement of 100 Nos. of old and obsolete Automatic Weather Stations
(AWS) installed during 1985 under the INSAT-1 programme. During 10th plan order was
placed for supply of 100 numbers of state-of-art AWS systems alongwith an earth
station for real-time reception of AWS data at Pune. A number of other agencies are
also operating AWS for meeting their operational requirements. During 11th plan the
network of AWS will be further augmented.
Four numbers of state-of-art Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) have been
inducted in the IMD’s radar network. The old conventional types of S-band cyclone
Detection Radars (CDRs) installed at Kolkata, Chennai, Machalipatnam and
Visakhapatnam have been replaced with new Doppler Weather Radars during 10th five
year Plan. These new type of radars provide digital data alongwith a large number of
quantitative products for use in real-time operational weather forecasting. In addition,
one indigenously developed Doppler Weather Radar was also commissioned at
Sriharikota (SHAR). It is being currently operated in a Test and Evaluation mode.
During the 11th five year Plan it is planned to further augment the radar network of the
Department by providing a large number of Doppler Weather Radars.
Seven nos. of old and obsolete 1680 MHz Radiotheodolites have been replaced
with new state-of-art radiotheodolites of much improved technology. In addition, three
more such radiotheodolites have been installed under the mountain meteorology
programme at Jammu, Manali and Sasoma for collection of upper-air data for
operational use by Snow and Avlanche Study Establishment (SASE) of DRDO located
at Chandigarh. In addition, during the 10th Plan a new Mark-IV radiosonde has been
introduced. The semi-automatic computing system at RS/RW stations has also been
replaced with the fully automatic computing system. As a result of all these changes in
the upper-air network, the quality of operational upper-air has also improved to a certain
extent. Major thrust has been given during 10th Plan for further improving the quality of
upper-air data. A new radiosonde with semi-conductor based sensors is being
developed by SCL, Chandigarh under an MoU between IMD and SCL. In addition, a
modified version of Radiosonde has also been developed using a new semiconductor
based pressure sensor. A few test flights taken with this radiosonde have shown very
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encouraging results. Many more test flights (  150) will be taken before end of the 10th
Five Year Plan.
7.1.4 Cyclone Warning & Research
Although the topical cyclones which form in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
are fewer in number than such storms in other parts of the world, they are the ones
which are most deadly. It has always been IMD’s aim to provide timely warnings in
order to minimize the loss to life and property and help relief agencies in organizing
disaster mitigation work by constant surveillance of the cyclones through satellites and
radars.
During the 9th & 10th Plans, Department had started replacement of the existing
S-Band Cyclone Detection Radars (CDR) by Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) which are
capable of providing an insight into the cyclone structure and velocity field. So far only
four old radars have been replaced with Doppler radars. During the 11th Plan, it is
proposed to replace the remaining 6 old CDRs with the new DWRs. The Doppler radars
will make available a large volume of data to researchers for further studies in the
movement and intensity of tropical cyclones which in turn will lead to better warning
services.
During the passage of a cyclone, ordinary anemometers usually get blown off. In
order to estimate the actual wind velocities, it is necessary to install special wind
recorders designed to withstand such high speeds. During 9th and 10th five Year Plans,
Department had installed 20 nos. of high wind speed recorders in the cyclone-prone
coastal areas. During the 11th Five Year Plan, it is proposed to install high wind speed
recorders at 10 more locations on the coastal areas.
The INSAT-based Cyclone Warning Dissemination system which was introduced
in the North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra Pradesh coasts in 1982, has since been
progressively expanded to cover the entire coastline of the country. This service
provides a means for warning the coastal population directly in the local language,
through selectively tunable receivers even when terrestrial communication links fail
during a cyclone. It has been acclaimed by the media, public, and relief agencies.
During the 10th Plan, 100 nos. of state-of-art Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination
System (DCWDS) receivers were installed in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
During the 11th Five Year Plan, the old analog receivers installed in the early phase at
250 locations will be replaced with the state-of-art DCWDS receivers.
7.1.5 Forecasting System
The old and obsolete computer system Cyber 2000U has been discarded. A
new SGI based machine has been installed in its place for running the Limited Area
Model (LAM) of IMD. With this the computational speed has increased considerably
and now the LAM model can be run much faster than before. The NWP products
generated from LAM are now available at a faster speed for operational utilization by the
end users. The forecasting system has been further augmented by adding another
ALTIMA machine of state-of-art. With these upgradations, IMD has also started
running Mesoscale Model (MM-5) on an operational basis.
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The Northern Hemispheric Analysis Centre is functioning as the Regional
Specialised Meteorological Centre for Tropical Cyclones in the north Indian Ocean Area
as designated by the WMO to act as such a center.
7.1.6 Aviation Services
Latest state of art transmissometers were installed at International Airports of
New Delhi and Kolkata for making automatic Runway Visual Range (RVR) assessments
at critical points on the runways. These equipments are providing real-time RVR data
for operational use by IMD and AAI. Ten Laser Ceilometers were installed at various
important airports to obtain real-time data for height of low clouds which is important for
aviation related operations. The data obtained from these new equipments is being
used operationally at the Airports.
A detailed plan for modernization of Airport Meteorological Services in the
country has been prepared by an Inter-departmental Committee of experts from IMD,
DST , Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAI.
7.1.7 Hydrometeorological Services
Raingauge networks of State governments which are included in an overall
District Rainfall Monitoring network has been integrated under a World Bank aided
scheme where IMD is the receipient of the data in an offline mode. Drought monitoring,
Monsoon activity studies and water resources assessments are conducted with the help
of this data. In Phase I which has been implemented in the X th plan period includes all
the peninsular states.
7.1.8 Agricultural Meteorology
Agromet. Advisory Services continued to be operated from various State capitals
during the 10th Plan. The evapotranspiration and soil moisture measuring stations
established during the 9th Plan have been continued and further expanded. An Agromet
Co-ordination Cell formed in IMD to co-ordinate with the National Centre for Medium
Range Weather Forecasting for establishing field units in 127 different agroclimatic
zones of the country during earlier plan periods continued to provide useful service using
new equipments established for this purpose. New website for agrometeorological
services has also been launched.
7.1.9 Research
IMD encouraged research activity in-house and it also supported research in
atmospheric sciences outside, through Grants-in-aid to Universities/Research Institutes
on the basis of recommendations of the Research Committee. The VAX 4000/300
computer installed at NDC, Pune continued to support management and storage of
meteorological data for research and study.
Status of major research and developmental activities in IMD is given below :
Long Range Forecasting
Indigenous investigational efforts have resulted in the development of improved
statistical models for Long Range Prediction of seasonal monsoon rainfall. Forecasts
based on improved models were started on an operational basis from the year 2003.
Main feature of improved model is that it is possible to issue first stage forecast for
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country as a whole, in the month of April using 8 parameters. Subsequently, in the 2nd
stage (end June), it is possible to further update the forecast using 2 additional
parameters. It is also now possible to issue the forecast separately for the four broad
homogeneous regions of the country instead of three regions.
IMD also developed new models indigenously to prepare forecasts for monsoon
onset over Kerala. In 2005, for the first time, IMD issued a forecast for the monsson
onset over Kerala. In addition, IMD for the first time introduced in 2003 a forecast,
exclusively for the monthly rainfall of July. For this purpose, a separate new model was
indigenously developed.
Monsoon Dynamics and Variability
IMD implemented a dynamical prediction system at IMD Pune by adopting the
seasonal forecast model developed by Experimental Climate Prediction Centre (ECPC),
USA. The model climatology was prepared by running the models for 26 years (1979-
2004) using observed SST data. The model output showed encouraging skill over the
Indian region. Experimental forecasts have been generated for 2005 and 2006 seasons
using this model.
Several research studies examining monsoon teleconnections with North
Atlanatic Ocean (NAO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Sea surface temperatures (SSTs),
global air temperatures , were completed and research papers were published in
national and international journals. Similarly other studies VIZ: probable causes for
weakening of ENSO and monsoon relationship, assessing peak warming in EL-Nino
events, and cloud climatology over North Indian Ocean, were also completed. Some
studies relating to climate change viz. effect of urbanization on meteorological
parameters, discontinuity in temperature, discomfort conditions, Decadal variation in hot
and cold water days, atmospheric turbidity, were also completed and papers were
published.
Research in NWP Models
Further developmental work on limited area Numerical Weather Prediction
Models for forecasting storm movement was continued. Improved regional models for
short range weather prediction are now being operationally used to provide advisories
to the field forecasting centers. Continued efforts are being made to further improve
these models.
Good progress has been made for assimilation of satellite derived soundings
products in the Limited Area Models being run by the Department. Studies have brought
out positive impact of satellite soundings on the model forecasts.
Local Severe and Tropical Storms
Studies relating to the prediction, development and movement of local severe
storms and tropical storms were continued during 10th Plan.
Climate and Climate Change
A National Climate Centre was made fully functional by merging the activities of
Investigation and Development (I&D) section and Long Range Forecast section. In
addition to long range forecasting activities, climate monitoring and climate diagnostics is
one the main responsibilities of the centre. NCC has brought out Monthly and seasonal
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climate diagnostics bulletins regularly. In addition, detailed scientific reports on drought
of 2002 and 2005 monsoon (including special section on heavy rain over Mumbai on
26/27 July) were published. For the first time, annual climate summaries were published
in 2004 and 2005 highlighting the major climate anomalies that occurred over the
country.
Environmental Meteorology
Air Pollution Section maintains a network of ten Global Atmospheric Watch
(GAW) stations of regional category. The Indian GAW network includes Allahabad,
Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Minicoy, Mohanbari, Nagpur, Portblair, Pune, Srinagar and
Vishakhapatnam. At these stations chemical composition of precipitation and
atmospheric turbidity is studied. Following equipment have been procured to bring the
chemical analyses of rainwater at par with other WMO GAW stations : (i) Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometer with Graphite furnace, (ii) Ion Chromatograph, (iii)
Microprocessor based PH and Conductivity Meters (iv) Ultra pure water purification
System. Air Pollution Laboratory also participated in WMO’s laboratory intercomprison
programme conducted twice in a year. One set of gas analysers (SO2 and Nox) for
ambient air monitoring was installed at Pune.
Aerosol Optical Thickness which indicates the columnar aerosol load of the
atmosphere is measured at GAW stations. Single channel volz’s sunphotometer has
been replaced with Microtop-II multi-channel sunphotometer (wavelength 368, 500, 675,
778 & 1028 nm) at Allahabad, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Nagpur, Portblair, Srinagar and
Pune. One such Sunphotometrer was also installed at Maitri, Antarctica.
The data from GAW stations provide reliable long-term observations of the
chemical composition of the atmosphere and related parameters in order to improve our
understanding of atmospheric chemistry and to organize assessment in support of
formulating environmental policy. Chemical composition of precipitation is useful in
quantifying the level of pollution due to increasing anthropogenic activities.
Climatological Services
To meet the requirements of users, many climate data products/ atlases were
also brought out. Revision of climatological summaries of some states was also taken
up. To fulfill the long lasting demand from the research community, National Climates
Centre brought out a high resolution daily gridded rainfall data set for the Indian region
for 1951-2003 periods. About 30 institutes in India and abroad have purchased this
important data set,
7.1.9 Seismology
India Meteorological Department (IMD) is maintaining the national seismological
network consisting of 51 stations spread over the country for monitoring the seismic
activity in and around the country. The network consists of 24 stations equipped with
state-of-the-art broad-band seismic and communication equipments capable of providing
facilities for immediate processing of data and dissemination of earthquake information
to various state and central government agencies dealing with disaster management
related matters. Ten of these broad-band observatories (of Global Seismic Network
Standards) have been provided with V-SAT based communication systems to enable
fastest mode of data transmission between the field stations and the Central Receiving
Station (CRS) at New Delhi.
Fifty strong motion accelerographs were procured and installed in various
seismological observatories of the national network to record strong ground motions
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during large magnitude earthquakes. The existing network has enabled generation of
very useful data sets and timely dissemination of earthquake information to government
functionaries during the recent significant earthquakes such as Bhuj (2001), Sumaatra
(2004) and Pakistan (2005). Detailed technical reports on these and various other
significant earthquakes were prepared and submitted to Government of India. The
digital data is also being archived systematically in a database and made available to
various user agencies for R&D purposes.
As part of Tsunami Warning System being set up by Government of India, IMD
is also in the process of setting up a 17 station Real Time Seismic Monitoring Network
for monitoring Tsunami-genic earthquakes from the two potential source areas, viz.
Andaman-Nicobar-Sumatra island area and Makran coast in the north Arabian Sea area.
An Indo-Russian Centre for Earthquake Research (IRCER) has been established
in IMD for providing a multi-institutional platform for carrying out research on earthquake
prediction related topics.
The network of Seismological observatories was further strengthened by
establishing more observatories. Present strength of the network is 51 observatories.
Studies in the Seismicity and Seismo-tectonics were continued.
During this plan period the Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre has been
established. It has completed microzonation studies of Delhi and Jabalpur at 1:50,000
scale giving geotechnical and engineering parameters of seismic induced damages.
7.1.10 National / International Cooperation
Research schemes on atmospheric science and cyclone prediction implemented at
Centre for Atmospheric Science at IIT Delhi and Jadavpur University Kolkata were
supported. In the area of International cooperation several WMO activities were pursued
as follows:
WORLD WEATHER WATCH PROGRAMME (WWW)
1. Global Data-Processing System
2. Global Observing System
3. Global Telecommunication System
4. WWW Data Management
5. WWW System Support Activity
6. Operational Information Service
7. Instruments and Methods of Observation Programme
8. Tropical Cyclone Programme
9. WMO Antarctic Activities
WORLD CLIMATE PROGRAMME (WCP)
1. Climate Programme Co-ordination
2. Support Activities, including IPCC on climate change, Biodiversity and
Desertification.
3. Global Climate Observing System
4. World climate Data and Monitoring Programme
5. World Climate Applications and Services Programme, including the CLIPS
project.
6. World Climate Impact Assessment and Response
7. Strategies Programme.
8. World Climate Research Programme
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ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (AREP).
1. Global Atmosphere Watch including support to ozone and other
environmental oriented conventions.
2. World Weather Research Programme including
i.THORPEX
ii.Tropical Meteorology Research Programme
iii.Programme on Physics and Chemistry of clouds and
iv.Modification Research.
APPLICATIONS OF METEOROLOGY PROGRAMME
1. Public Weather Services Programme
2. Agricultural Meteorology Programme
3. Aeronautical Meteorology Programme
4. Marine Meteorology and Associated Oceanographic
5. Activities Programme
HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES PROGRAMME
1. Programme on Basic System in Hydrology
2. Programme on forecasting and Applications in Hydrology.
3. Programme on water-related issues
4. Programme on sustainable Development of Water Resources.
5. Programme on capacity building in Hydrology and Water Resources
EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME (ET)
1. Human Resouces development
2. Training activities
3. Education and Training fellowships
4. Support to training events under other
5. WMO major programmes
TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION OGRAMME
NATURAL DISASTER PREVENTION AND MITIGATION PROGRAMME.
W M O SPACE PROGRAMME
7.1.11 Positional Astronomy Centre
The Indian Asronomical Ephemeris used by Navigators, Astronomers and Survey
of India for Tidal computations is prepared and published by this center. In addition to
that the centre also issues the National Calendar and Rashtriya Panchang on behalf of
the Government of India. During the X th plan period the entire activities were reviewed
by a high power National Committee and completely modernized. The products are now
made available on the Website and 5 years in advance to help all possible applications
in the country.
7.1.12 Human Resource Development
The training unit of IMD was established in 1947.1. Various disciplines covered
are: General Meteorology, Instrumentation, Agrometeorology, Telecommunications and
computerised data processing. In addition, a number of advanced refresher courses on
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highly specialized subjects, including a number of SAARC seminars, have also been
conducted.
The training facilities of the department have been recognized as a Regional
Meteorological Training Centre (RMTC) of the WMO in 1986 which is among the 22
such centres of the WMO. Several WMO sponsored training seminars have also been
organized by IMD in the field of tropical meteorology, storm surge, agrometeorology and
monsoon. The training facilities of the department consist of well-equipped laboratories,
class rooms with modern audio-visual equipments, well-furnished residential hostels and
training school building.
During the last five years the training centes of the department have trained
nearly 1184 trainees in various disciplines including 22 foreign trainees mainly from
developing countries in Asia and Africa.
7.1.13 Infrastructure Development
New office buildings have come at Hyderabad and Jaipur Meteorological Centres
replacing rented ones. Residential quarters have been built at Jaipur, Ajmer Observatory
and Palam Met Office. Land has been purchased for Met Centre Chandigarh, Mangalore
RSRW station. A Radar building has been constructed at Vishakhapatnam. Maintenance
of existing buildings at Mausam Bhavan , New Delhi, Pune office, RMC and MC
buildings at all centres have been carried out by CPWD. New Guest house for visiting
scientists and Officers has been constructed at Shivaji Nagar,Pune.
7.2 National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
(NCMRWF)
7.2.1 Operational
NCMRWF continues to be the only Organization in the country for Real-time Global Data
Assimilation & Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
In addition, several Mesoscale Models and Data Assimilation system are run on
operational basis to provide forecasts for high-impact weather.
The medium range forecasts are made available to India Meteorological
Department(IMD), and a number of other user agencies(Ministry of Agriculture, IAF,
Indian Navy, SASE, DAE, DOD etc.). Through in-house effort, the Centre has developed
its Web Page. Its data and products are also kept on this page and are accessible to
user agencies and public.
Established a network of 107 Agro Advisory Service(AAS) units out of planned 127 units,
one in each of the Agro Climatic Zones(ACZ) of the country..
Provide Quantitative location specific medium range weather forecasts to AAS units
regularly.
Forecast products are also provided to other countries for example Sri Lanka, Kenya,
Qatar, Nepal etc.
7.2.2 Experimental/Semi-Operational
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Experimental Extended Range (monthly) and seasonal Predictions are issued during
monsoon seasons.
7.2.3 Research & Development
7.2.3.1 Global Modeling & Assimilation System
A new high-resolution Global Model & Data Assimilation System (T170/L28) has been
developed in-house at NCMRWF.
A new and improved Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) scheme has been implemented
in-house in the NCMRWF global model.
A new and improved Radiation scheme has been implemented in-house in the
NCMRWF global model.
A new Ensemble Prediction System has been developed in-house to make ensemble
medium range weather forecasting.
A new objective criteria based scheme for medium range prediction of onset, progress
and withdrawal of southwest monsoon has been developed.
New Convection schemes have been implemented and test runs have been carried out.
Schemes have been developed in-house to assimilate passive microwave radiometer
data (total precipitable water, wind speed) from MSMR, SSM/I sensors from Remote
Sensing Satellites.
Schemes have been developed in-house to assimilate Advanced TOVS (ATOVS)
Satellite data.
Schemes have been developed in-house to assimilate Wind data from QUIKSCAT
Satellite data.
Schemes have been developed in-house to assimilate data from Meteosat Satellite.
Schemes have been developed in-house to assimilate data from ACARS system.
Comprehensive Quality Control system is regularly updated to account for new types of
satellite data.
Schemes have been developed to effectively utilize Indian RS/RW data which otherwise
does not get assimilated in other operational global NWP centers.
A Rainfall Analysis scheme has been developed to analyze merged rain gauge and
satellite data over the Indian region.
A statistical interpretation (SI) prediction system has been developed in house for
improved location specific forecasts.
Crop weather models have been calibrated and validated for different crops cultivated in
different agro-climatic zones of the country.
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A low-resolution version of the forecast system has been implemented on a workstation
to meet the emergency situation if entire computing infrastructure collapses due to some
accident or other reasons.
Model & assimilation codes have been re-written so that they run on every computing
platform at NCMRWF.
7.2.3.2 Regional Modeling & Assimilation System
Research works on Mesocale models (MM5, ETA, and RSM) are being carried out to
improve short-range predictions.
Schemes have been developed to assimilate Doppler Radar data in Mesoscale models.
7.2.3.3 Extended-Range/Seasonal/Climate Prediction System
The NCMRWF Extended-range/Seasonal prediction system has been developed in-
house.
Skill of this prediction system is comparable to that from other leading seasonal
prediction centers.
Long integrations have been made using the NCMRWF global model to understand and
alleviate the model systematic errors.
A Chemical forecast & Long-range aerosol transport Model has been developed and
implemented.
7.2.3.4 Publications
The scientists of the Centre have published a large number of research papers in
journals of international repute. 90% of the scientists of the Centre are Ph.D. degree
holders, some of them have worked for their degree while serving NCMRWF. Many
scientists have supervised Ph.D. students of various universities/institutions.
7.2.4 Supercomputer Establishment and Upgradation
To meet the increasing demands of NWP, the Centre established supercomputing and
networking facilities and regularly upgraded the same.
Recently, a 64-processor Cray X1e system has been installed. An indigenous parallel
processing computer system PARAM PADMA from CDAC has been installed.
The bandwidth of internet connectivity has been raised to 4 mbps.
The Centre contributed to development of indigenous parallel computing capabilities in
the country in the field of weather and climate modeling.
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7.2.5 Other Important Achievements
Initial and boundary conditions from global model are provided to various agencies to
enable them to run their regional models.
Customized forecasts are provided from time to time for special requirements which
include defence exercises, adventure sport, tourism, entertainment, power sector etc.
Crop Weather Models have been developed, training imparted and technology has been
transferred to various Agriculture Universities
A number of training programmes have been organized for scientists/users from within
the country and abroad in NWP, use of NWP products, and their applications. NCMRWF
scientists serve as faculty in various national training programmes.
The Centre has organized many national and international conferences, workshops, and
symposiums.
7.2.6 Participation in International/National Coordinated Programs
NCMRWF participated in WMO/WGNE/MONEG program on seasonal monsoon
prediction; in WMO/WCRP/AMIP program on global model intercomparison; in WMO
Australia Monsoon inter-comparison project and INDOEX.
.
NCMRWF participates in
• WMO/WWRP THORPEX and CEOP programme.
• BOBMEX, ARMEX, LASPEX, and other programmes
• STORM, CTCZ, PROWNM and other programmes
NCMRWF is a collaborating institute with NCAR, UK Met Office, and LMD France,
Florida State University, University of Maryland, University of Washington, MPI
Germany.
7.3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
The IITM has its research programme under the scheme ‘Research in Tropical
Meteorology’ against its Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07). Research work under this
scheme was organized under five major areas viz., (i) Monsoon Prediction, Climate
Dynamics and Modelling, (ii) Environmental Meteorology, (iii) Cloud Physics and
Atmospheric Electricity, (iv) Scientific Computing for Atmospheric Research, and (v)
Strengthening of Infrastructure. Research work carried out under the 10th Five Year Plan
has contributed to the studies relating to severe weather systems affecting Indian
subcontinent, Asian monsoon variability and predictability, application of satellite data in
weather forecasting, climate modelling and dynamics, regional aspects of global climate
change using instrumental and proxy climate records, short-term and long-term climate
diagnostics and prediction, hydrological modelling, cloud modelling, theoretical
understanding of atmospheric and oceanic circulation, atmospheric monitoring and air
pollution studies through LIDAR, radiometric and spectrometric remote sensing systems,
middle atmosphere and chemical climate, atmospheric boundary layer experiments,
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atmospheric electrical characteristics, development of simulation techniques in cloud
physics and surface observations of atmospheric electricity and electrical properties of
clouds.
The research has also contributed to the progress of some of the international
programmes such as World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), Climate and its
Variability (CLIVAR), International Geosphere - Biosphere Programme (IGBP),
Intergovernmental Programmes of Climate Change (IPCC), United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), etc. The IITM has also been part of many
national research and observational programmes such as Indian Climate Research
Programme (ICRP) of the Department of Science and Technology, Indian Ocean
Modelling (INDOMOD) programme of the Department of Ocean Development, IRSP4
Application Programme of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Environmental
Information System of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Climate Change
Projects of The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) etc. IITM participated in several
multi-Institutional observational programmes like ARMEX, CTCZ and STORM of the
Department of Science and Technology, ISRO-GBP Programmes like ARBS, ICARB
and Nation-wide Land campaign, Southern Ocean expeditions of the National Centre
Antarctica and Ocean Research, Goa, and 24th Expedition to Antarctica and research
programmes being actively pursued by several observational and theoretical scientists
working in the field of Atmospheric Sciences in different countries.
The scientists of IITM have also collaborated with leading scientists of other
nations through several bilateral research programmes such as Indo-UK programme on
impact of climate change on water resources, Indo-France programme for the study of
sensitivity of the Indian summer monsoon to anthropogenic climate change, Indo-US
(DST-NSF) projects on aerosol studies, Asia-Pacific Network (APN) for global change
research, Indo-Bulgaria Programme of co-operation in Science & Technology, Indo-
Swedish collaborative programme on Composition of Asian Deposition (CAD), etc.
A review of the achievements of the 10th Five Year Plan programmes of the IITM
is summarized below:
7.3.1 Monsoon Prediction, Climate Dynamics and Modelling
• Discovered a coupled feedback between the tropical Indian Ocean circulation and
the southwest monsoon winds, on sub-seasonal / intra-seasonal time-scales,
which is pivotal in forcing long-lasting breaks in the monsoon rainfall over India and
occurrence of droughts over the subcontinent. This new understanding should
foster major improvements in our ability to predict the monsoonal rains on time-
scales of days-to-weeks.
• Demonstrated the role of Indian Ocean SST boundary forcing in influencing the
monsoon intra-seasonal variability and the seasonal monsoon rainfall over India
through atmospheric GCM simulation experiments.
• Improved understanding of the ENSO-monsoon teleconnection through convection
changes over Northwest Pacific has been obtained that has major implications on
predicting the seasonal mean monsoon.
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• Experimental Long-Range Forecasts of seasonal mean monsoon rainfall based on
various statistical and dynamical techniques were sent, every year, to the India
Meteorological Department (IMD). In issuing the national seasonal forecast for the
All India Monsoon Rainfall, the IMD takes guidance from IITM forecasts together
with their own empirical model results.
• Typical analysis of pixel-by-pixel OLR data, performed through digitized
Kalpana-1 IR observations showed unique characteristic feature highlighting the
persistence of very deep convection (OLR ~ 85 W/m) at Santacruz and
surrounding area for a period 09 UTC of 26 July to 03 UTC of 27 July 2005. This
analysis, along with integrated approach of multiple satellites specifying the details
of integrated water vapour, cloud liquid water content and precipitation rates gave
the signature of occurrence of excessive rainfall over Santacruz.
• An integrated effect of NAO and ENSO has been found to give a signal 3 to 4
months in advance for the prediction of excess/deficient monsoon rainfall over the
Indian region.
• A method to predict the onset date of Indian monsoon over Kerala, about six
weeks in advance, has been developed. The method is based on the observed
relationship between Thiruvanathapuram, Cochi, Alapuzha and Kodaikanal during
pre-monsoon months (March - June) for the period 1961 – 1992. Based
on the highly significant skill demonstrated by the method on hindcast mode, it is
being validated on operational mode for the recent monsoon years (2001
onwards).
• East Indian Ocean SST over the region 5ºS - 5º N, 85º - 95º E has been identified
as a new predictor for both all India summer monsoon rainfall and annual rainfall.
April SST over the region helps predict the annual rainfall and June SST is useful
in prediction of the monsoon rainfall.
• POM model simulated subsurface circulation indicated that reversal in the direction
of Somali current is present only in the shallow upper layer up to 50 to 70 meter
depth. Subsurface Somali current is found to be northward through out the year.
• IITM has taken a national lead in generating high resolution regional climate
change scenarios for two time slices, one corresponding to the present (1961-90)
and the other for the future (2071-2100), using Hadley Center Regional Climate
Model (PRECIS). These scenarios, developed based on the future projections of
SRES GHG emissions, form the basis for the impact assessment studies being
carried out by different research groups in India relating to agriculture, water
resources, human health etc.
• Quality controlled data sets on all-India and macro-regional scale monthly rainfall
and surface air temperature developed and updated every year by the Institute are
highly sought after and extensively used by many researchers in India and abroad
for understanding monsoon variability and global teleconnections.
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• A set of four Atlases depicting the Spatial and Temporal Variations in rainfall during
1813-2003 over India have been prepared. These atlases can serve as an
excellent reference material for understanding intricate monsoon rainfall variations
during the last century.
• For the first time, tree ring chronologies spanning more than 5 centuries of Tectona
grandis based on extensive sample collections from Narange Forest, Kerala have
shown to be useful in the reconstruction of monsoon climate over the Peninsular
India.
• Tailor-made Hydrometeorological products generated at the Institute based on
hourly and daily rainfall data from a dense network of stations in India have
extensively been used by several central and state agencies dealing with water
resources management, flood control and hydropower generation.
7.3.2 Environmental Meteorology
• Argon-ion lidar derived aerosol loading in the ABL over Pune showed a significant
increasing trend in the last 14 years due to urbanization and a well defined
seasonal variation. Multi-site aerosol optical characterization has been made using
multiwavelength radiometers, and aerosol radiative forcing estimates at the surface
and at the top of the atmosphere have been made for an urban location using
sun/sky radiometer.
• Precipitation chemistry studies in different environments in India showed that rain
is alkaline in nature at most of the locations except at some industrial and forest
locations. This is due to neutralization of acidic components of rain by soil
originated components.
• State of the art atmospheric chemistry model to study the long-term trends in the
atmosphere from surface to 100 km and a tropospheric ion chemistry model have
been developed and also an Environmental Information Center (ENVIS Centre) for
creating database and inventories of acid rain and atmospheric pollutants over the
Indian region has been established at the Institute.
• A rotating drum automatic UV-visible spectrometer for monitoring stratospheric/
tropospheric NO2, O3, H2O and O4 has been developed indigenously. Observations
with this spectrometer compared well with those by the Dobson Spectrophotometer
and satellite observations.
• An automatic twilight photometer has been utilized to obtain vertical profiles of
aerosols up to 120 km altitude and observations during meteor shower periods
showed enhancement of aerosols at mesospheric levels and their subsequent
downward transport to lower altitudes.
• Sustained observations from an instrumented tower set up at the NCAOR campus
during ARMEX experiment reveals that(i) the surface layer profile has an internal
boundary layer at the site extending up to ~ 2 m above surface due to coastal
terrain, (ii) analysis of water vapour and CO2 data showed significant negative
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correlation coefficient (> -0.8) existing in the unstable atmospheric conditions
corroborating inverse phase relationship in variation of CO2 and water vapour
(August – October 2002) in moderate and light winds, and an increase in water
vapour and decrease in CO2 during sea breeze, and
(iii) micrometeorological spectra depicted -5/3 power law in the inertial sub-range.
• Unusual changes in surface ozone and NOX concentrations (day time minima and
night time maxima) have been observed during 3 January to 20 February 2005, a
week after the giant Tsunami wave struck Tranquebar, Tamilnadu on 26 December
2004.
• Measurements on surface ozone along and across the Coromandal coast of
Tamilnadu, in December (2000 and 2002) and in April (2001 and 2003) have
shown higher ozone concentration along the coastline than 20 km inland possibly
due to oxidation of hydrocarbon by chlorine radicals from sea.
7.3.3 Cloud Physics and Atmospheric Electricity
• Based on the experience gained in the Institute’s warm cloud modification
experiments, assistance to various State Governments in their respective rain
enhancement programmes has been provided and extensive Radar data collected
during these programmes are being analyzed to study the cloud microphysical
characteristics.
• Isolated thunderstorms occurring over Pune region have been observed to have an
extensive Lower Positive Charge Centre (LPCC) which can last for more than 75%
of the lifetime of the storm. These LPCCs are strong enough to initiate/trigger an
intracloud (IC) or cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning discharge. Shape of the surface
electric field recovery curves of such CG lightning discharges has strong
signatures of the influence of corona charge accumulated in the sub-cloud layer.
• Some lightning discharges in thunderclouds deposit enough charge in one part of
the thundercloud so as to trigger another lightning discharge of opposite polarity in
a remote area of the thunderstorm.
• Thunderstorms occurring over Pune region frequently exhibit ‘End-of-Storm-
Oscillation (EOSO)’ in surface electric field. A novel case of an inverted EOSO is
reported in a thundercloud of inverted polarity in our observations.
• Atmospheric electric conductivity over sea surface near west coast of India
undergoes approximately a three-fold increase at the time of the onset of
southwest monsoon. The observed increase is proposed to occur due to the
generation of multiply charged large ions generated due to wave-breaking in the
high wind speed regions over the Arabian Sea.
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7.3.4 Scientific Computing for Atmospheric Research
• Augmented the computational facilities at the Institute by acquiring workstations,
PCs, printers, scanners, data storage devices, intranet and internet, and necessary
softwares.
7.3.5 Strengthening of Infrastructure
• Carried out face-lifting of the Institute’s surrounding, Constructed two ultramodern
Conference Halls and one Seminar Hall for national and international events like
meetings, conferences, etc. Improved horticultural activities at the Institute’s
campus.
7.3.6 Number of Research Publications in peer reviewed journals during 10th Five
Year Plan
Total 250 papers published during the 10th Five Year Period (4 years i.e. 2002-03
to 2005-06) out of which 135 papers have been published in journals with Impact
Factor. Cumulative Impact Factor of 135 Papers is 216.11717
Number of Research Publications in peer reviewed journals during 10th Five Year
Plan with Cumulative Impact factor : Please see Annexure I
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8. CONTINUING PROGRAMME
1.1 India Meteorological Department(IMD)
For defining the directions in which IMD should proceed in the next ten years, it is
necessary to look into the emerging global scenario in meteorology as well as to
envisage our own national requirements. The global trend is towards issues related to
improved public weather services, Disaster Management, NWP models, climate change,
global warming, ozone depletion, research focus, human resources development etc.
Also, as India industrialises, the requirements of meteorological service are becoming
more demanding. Environment related issues have now assumed even greater
importance as they are affecting significantly the quality of life in major cities
IMD’s perspective plan for the next decade presented in this section has been derived
from the following considerations:
- Global scene in Meteorology
- Requirements of meteorological services to keep pace with the transition of our
society in 2020 timeframe.
- Availability of expertise and capabilities within the country.
- Research trends in atmospheric sciences and allied fields.
- Maximum utilization of state of art technology in observation system,
instrumentation, space-based systems, computers and telecommunications
- The need for more accurate and timely prediction of high impact weather events
of extreme nature (For example Mumbai Rainfall of 26 July,2005) .
- The need for providing more precise weather information for economically
important sectors such as agriculture, aviation, shipping, power generation etc.
- Providing more precise and accurate information for better preparedness against
weather related disasters and for disaster mitigation related operations.
- Improved outreach of weather related information and products to a vast variety
of end users in a most effective and efficient manner.
- To cater to the weather/climate information related needs of general public in
view of the changing scenario in the country.
In the recent past, some of the high impact weather events of extreme nature have
attracted the attention of public at large and media persons. Particularly after the
unprecedented heavy rainfall spell recorded at Mumbai on 26th July, 2005, inadequacy
of meteorological infrastructure has been felt. General feeling is that availability of more
sophisticated equipments and better communication facilities for real-time collection of
meteorological data and dissemination of information would have resulted in increased
capability of weather forecasters to provide weather related information and forecasts
with more lead time. Key to minimizing losses due to such unprecedented weather
events is “better information and adequate preparedness”. As an aftermath of this event,
general policy guideline that has emerged from the high level functionaries in the Govt.
is “to make meteorological services in India of World-class standards”. It is, therefore,
absolutely necessary at this stage to take right direction and put in sufficient thrust
backed by strong commitment and adequate resources to augment the infrastructural
facilities in the department. As a sequel to the initiative taken in middle of the year 2004
from very high level in the Govt. stressing the urgent need for upgradation of forecasting
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and observation systems of the Department, lot of spade work has already been done by
the Department. As a first step in this direction a feasibility report spelling out detailed
requirements of upgradations required in IMD has already been sent to the Planning
Commission. It is, therefore, essential that projections for 11th Five Year Plan made in
this document are in consonance with the projections made in the feasibility report.
Ministry of Civil Aviation has recently announced its large scale plans for modernization
of a number of airports in the country. Since provision of meteorological services at the
airports forms an essential component of airport services, IMD will be required to make
corresponding upgrades in the aviation related meteorological equipments and the
meteorological services in accordance with the guidelines given by ICAO. A detailed
review in this regard has been conducted jointly by a team of offices from MCA, AAI,
DST and IMD and a report prepared. This will form the basis for projecting requirements
of upgradation of airport meteorological services in accordance with priorities
suggested by the users (MCA and AAI). A large chunk of financial resources will,
therefore, to require in the 11th Plan to meet this commitment by the Department.
Most of the existing radars operating in the IMD’s network of weather radars are old and
obsolete and are difficult to maintain due to non-availability of spares. All these radars
need to be replaced with state-of-art Doppler Weather Radars with capabilities of
generating digital data and a large number of operational products for use by the field
forecast offices. Existing network of radars also needs to be augmented further to
provide adequate coverage for real-time weather monitoring at all places in the country.
A high level national committee of experts has given recommendations on the type of
radars required their approximate numbers, frequency band of operation and strategy of
inducting new type of radars in the IMD’s network. A large chunk of financial resources
will have to be allocated to meet this national commitment of vital importance from the
point of view of real time weather monitoring over all parts of the country. Projections in
the 11th Five Year Plan document have been made keeping in view the
recommendations of above mentioned committee of experts. These are also in
accordance with the feasibility report referred in the above para..
WMO Long-term Plan
World Meteorological Organizaion, in consultation with various member countries, has
formulated Long-Term Plans which discusses in depth the broad sectors or issues which
would have to be addressed during the decade 2006-2015. Sixth WMO long-term plan
for the period 2004-2011 and 7th WMO long-term plan for the period 2012-2019 have
been prepared by the WMO. Its major objectives for the next decade are the following
Global Observations: To foster the effective integration of global and regional
programmes for comprehensive and reliable observation of the state of the global
atmosphere and the entire earth system; and to support the following major objectives
through the international exchange of these observations.
Public Services, welfare and safety: To ensure that, in all countries, the general
community improves its understanding of the value of, and is better assisted to benefit
from the basic public information, weather forecasts and warning services provided by
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.
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Natural Disaster Mitigation: To contribute to the goals of the internationally co-
ordinated programme for Natural Disaster Reduction through the implementation of
detection, prediction and warning systems.
Specialised meteorological and hydrological services: To assist members to satisfy
the requirements of the growing number of users of specialized meteorological and
hydrological services and to give specific attention to transportation safety, provision of
food, fibre and fresh water.
Climate: To ensure that WMO exerts effective international leadership in climate
monitoring, research and applications including global climate prediction.
Environmental quality: To contribute, through scientifically sound monitoring and
research to understanding, arresting and reversing the degradation of the atmosphere
and the marine and hydrological environment.
Sustainable development : To contribute through the meteorological, hydrological and
oceanographic monitoring, research and prediction facilities and programmes of National
Services, to environmentally and economically sustainable development in all countries.
Capacity building: To bridge the gap between national Meteorological and
Hydrological services of developing and developed countries.
Commercial activities : To build an effective harmonious and mutually supporting
relationship between public and private sectors of the meteorological and hydrological
communities in the provision of commercial meteorological services.
From the above, it is clear that issues relating to climate and environment have
been designated as thrust areas where considerable efforts are required to be put by
member countries subject to the capabilities as well as availability of respective national
resources. In many developing countries, a major part of resources are still to be
apportioned for updating the existing activities to bring them at par with other member
countries.
A proper examination and research in issues related to climate variability pre-
supposes a high quality of data. The accuracy requirement of data for climate study is
much more stringent as compared to what is required for meso-scale/synoptic scale
weather forecasting. The importance of high quality of data is now being fully
appreciated as we attempt to grapple with problems such as definition and management
of climate change and variability. It is now being realized that the number of sites which
have long term records of sufficient quality to give meaningful data are less than what
are optimally required. The data we collect now is for posterity and we must ensure that
it is going to be of high value. While accepting this principle, we should also keep in
mind that data for other purposes such as research or forecasting and warning services
would continue to be required.
Another area, where considerable efforts are required is timely availability of
data. In many developing countries, the telecommunication network is still in nascent
stage due to which data which is acquired at considerable effort and resources is simply
not useful for meso-scale forecasting as it is not available in time. Therefore, there is an
urgent need to update the telecommunication network standards. Since considerable
resources would be required for this purpose, it may be necessary to examine diversion
of funds by closure of such observation stations whose data cannot be made available in
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time. However, the requirement of climate research would dictate continuation of such
observations for the purpose of long term record.
The requirements of high quality of data put pressure on the observation system
to induct newer technology and other methods. For instance for recording surface
observations, automatic weather stations need to be essentially inducted which would
remove errors due to human intervention. However, they may not replicate manual
observations in respect of averaging times and the different sensors used. These can
make small but significant changes in the record. Newer systems like Doppler Weather
Radars, wind profilers, automatic weather stations, global positioning system soundings
and advanced Space-based systems are at the leading edge of technology. Most of the
staff and officers do not have the necessary skills for the operation and maintenance of
such sophisticated equipment. Increased attention will have to be given to redeployment
of staff by retaining them in the appropriate fields. Continuing training of observers in
newer fields has to be organized in future.
Research in environment related issues would require establishment of
expanded monitoring network of atmospheric pollutants like SO2, NO2, CO2.
Continuous monitoring of ozone, particularly in tropical regions where it is produced is
essential to understand fully the mechanism of its production, transport and its
destruction by pollutants.
Increased attention is required to be paid for natural Disaster Mitigation, including
seismology, during the next decade. Effective and timely communication of the
occurrence of earthquake to the mitigation agencies is very essential for reduction of
loss of life.
Thrust Areas
The proposed “Major Thrust Areas’’ and “Sub-thrust Areas” for the Eleventh Five Year
Plan for IMD are as follows:
MAJOR THRUST AREAS:
(1) Observational and Met. Telecommunication system.
Sub-Thrust Areas.
1. Space Meteorology -continuing programme
2. Meteorological Telecommunication. -continuing programme
3. Observational System -continuing programme
4. Instrument Development. -continuing programme
(2) Weather Forecasting System.
Sub-Thrust Areas
5. Cyclone Warning and Research. - continuing programme
6. Forecasting Services. - continuing programme
7. District Meteorological Information Centers (DMIC). - new programme
8. Early Warning System. - new programme
(3) Specialised Meteorological Services.
Sub-Thrust Areas:
9. Services to Aviation. - continuing programme
10. Hydromet. Services. - continuing programme
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11. Agro Met. Services. - continuing programme
(4) Seismology and Earthquake Risk Evaluation .
Sub-Thrust Areas:
12. Seismology. - continuing programme
13. Seismic Hazard and Risk Evaluation. - continuing programme
(5) Climate & Environment Monitoring & Research.
Sub-Thrust Areas:
14. Climate Research and Monitoring. - new programme
15. Environmental Studies. - continuing programme
16. Research. - continuing programme
(6) Human Resource Development. - continuing programme
(7) National and International Co-operation. - continuing programme
(8) Infrastructural Development and Maintenance - continuing programme
Programme Goals
Within each thrust area, the programme goals and the benefits that would result
from their realization are discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. Full details, including
year-wise phasing of expenditure under different heads, are given in a separate
document appended at appropriate place in this report.
Major Thrust Area (1) - Observation and Meteorological Telecommunication
3.1 Space Meteorology
A very high priority is to be given right in the beginning of the 11th five year Plan
for establishment of new ground segment for reception and processing of meteorological
data from the next meteorological satellite of INSAT-3 series i.e., INSAT-3D, to be
launched before end of 2007/early 2008. It will be a dedicated meteorological satellite
with advanced payloads of multi-channel imager and a 19 channel atmospheric sounder.
The multi-channel imager will have capability of providing 1 km. resolution imagery in
visible band and 4 km resolution in the Thermal infrared bands. The sharper images of
weather phenomena provided in the visible and IR bands will allow better discrimination
of features. Also, they will provide better insights into the structure of tropical storms,
thus further helping in issuing accurate cyclone warnings. The INSAT-3D payload will
demand an upgradation of the ground system in terms of high bit rate data handling and
additional softwares for derivation of new products.
Beyond the INSAT-3 D time frame, the Indian Space Programme envisages
advanced satellites like Megha-Tropiques, OCEANSAT-2 etc. which will be expected to
further improve IMD’s forecasting capabilities over land and ocean and provide data for
climate studies and atmospheric research. Preparatory work on the definition of these
satellites which are likely to be launched during 11th Five Year Plan, has already
commenced. As the system definition get clarified, IMD has to initiate parallel actions
for building up its ground infrastructure. The ground processing systems also need to be
suitably augmented for receiving data from U.S. earth observation and meteorological
satellites which would monitor weather and environment parameters on higher spatial
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resolutions than the Indian Satellites. For all these satellites, ground processing
software for deriving products and the utilization of products for various applications will
have to be developed in R&D mode.
Some of the services of satellite INSAT have an added provision for broadcasts
of meteorological data and warnings. Under the MDD (Meteorological Data
Dissemination) system, INSAT imagery, facsimile weather charts and weather data are
being broadcast in near real time to IMD’s forecasting centers throughout the country. In
the 11th Plan, it is proposed to enhance the capability at the field units by adding to the
number of receiving stations and by resorting to digital transmission of INSAT imagery.
The INSAT based Cyclone Warning Dissemination System (CWDS) which has proved
to be highly successful in conveying warnings of approaching cyclones directly to
affected areas, will be strengthened during the 11th Plan by replacing the old equipments
installed first in mid 1990s and by making technological improvements to ensure smooth
operations during cyclone situations. Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination System
(DCWDS) receivers will be installed in place of old analog systems. Already 100 nos of
DCWDS are working in coastal areas of A.P.
The INSAT-based Data Collection System will be augmented and utilized more
efficiently during the 11th Plan period by using the spare transponder capacity for
transmission of meteorological data from a large number of Automatic Raingauge and
Automatic Weather Stations proposed to be deployed in the field areas for real time data
collection..
Budget Requirement
Rs in crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
Sub-Thrust Area
Space Meteorology
30.84 33.24 32.50 12.00 18.00 126.58
8.1.2 Meteorological Telecommunications
It is IMD’s mandate to provide, operate and manage the basic telecommunication
system necessary for collection of weather observations from various types of observing
stations, their transmissions to the analysis centers, dissemination of processed outputs
to various field units in the shortest possible time and to meet the present and future
national and international communication requirements related to weather service.
During the 11th Plan, it is proposed :
(v) To provide satellite based communication links at all surface, upper air, radar and
other observation stations through creation of new Hub station at New Delhi.
(v) To provide computer based current weather display system at all important
airports.
(v) To establish maintenance centers for telecommunication equipment at Regional
Offices.
(iv) To replace old and obsolete communication equipment including HF receivers,
AMSS computers etc.
The need to develop a dedicated satellite-based telecommunication system for
IMD in the 11th Plan arises from the sheer volume of digital data from satellites, radars
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and computer products that would require to be handled during this period. A
networking of computers at Delhi, Pune and other places would provide immediate
access to the field centers to the latest computer derived products and climatic
information. Moreover, while in a broadcast mode, all types of information is
disseminated, taking a longer time, in a computer access mode the users can selectively
and speedily obtain only that information which is of interest to them. With digital
transmission of satellite imagery planned for the 11th Plan, and the expansion of the
national radar network with digital processing, exchange of radar and satellite imagery
and products could be realized through an efficient telecommunication system, as the
image processing work stations at the field units would commonly handle various types
of data.
Budget Requirement
Rs in crores
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
Sub-Thrust Area
Meteorological
Telecommunication 46.10 33.40 19.15 3.73 1.21 103.59
8.1.3 Observational Systems
IMD maintains a dense network of upper air and surface observatories to obtain
data on vital atmospheric parameters. Besides the observatory network, IMD also has a
network of X-Band and S-Band radars. During the 11th Plan, the following upgradation
to the observing systems are proposed :
(i) Replacement of all old analog based X-Band radars with state of art Doppler
radars having digital capability is planned. This will enable processing of large
amount of data with a computer, generate quantitative products and image &
products display which can be subjected to detailed analysis which is not
possible with the present analogue-type of radars. The digital data and products
can also be transferred from the radar station to other radar stations and field
forecasting offices in real-time for operational use.
(ii) All old ground equipments of SAMEER make being used operationally for
tracking of radiosondes.
(iii) During 10th Plan, Department had commissioned the first wind profiler at Pune as
part of a development programme of DST. This profiler was designed and
developed indigenously by SAMEER, Mumbai. Five more wind profilers are
proposed to be introduced in the upper-air network. These systems do not need
consumables like balloons or gas and are capable of providing very frequent
upper air wind observations. They are also useful in studies of clear air
turbulance.
(iv) A large number of observatories are proposed to be upgraded/departmentalized.
Automatic weather stations will be set up where manned stations can be
operated with difficulty. Satellite-based transmission of data to the analysis
center will be started.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Area 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total Rs lin
crores
Observational system 101.22 130.80 136.80 129.60 66.00
564.42
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8.1.4 Instrumentation Development
To ensure the quality of observations, standardization and calibration of
instruments has to be improved. Also, the instrument design itself has to be reviewed
from time to time and modifications introduced. For this purpose, it is proposed to set up
R&D centers for instrumentation at New Delhi and Pune and to upgrade the test,
calibration and standardization facilities. The Radar Laboratory at New Delhi will be
equipped with facilities in tune with the new types of radars that are being installed and
would have to be maintained. The IMD workshops and New Delhi and Pune which are
engaged in instrument manufacture on a large scale have to be modernized by replacing
obsolete machinery with fully automatic/semi-automatic machines which will help to turn
out quality products in a more efficient manner.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total Rs lin
crores
Instrumentation 41.10 93.03 84.80 25.16 22.88
Development 266.97
Major Thrust Area (2) - Weather Forecasting System
8.1.5 Cyclone Warning and Research
Although the topical cyclones which form in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
are fewer in number than such storms in other parts of the world, they are the ones
which are most deadly. It has always been IMD’s aim to provide timely warnings in
order to minimize the loss to life and property and help relief agencies in organizing
disaster mitigation work by constant surveillance of the cyclones through satellites and
radars.
During the 9th & 10th Plans, Department had started replacement of the existing
S-Band Cyclone Detection Radars (CDR) by Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) which are
capable of providing an insight into the cyclone structure and velocity field. So far only
four old radars have been replaced with Doppler radars. During the 11th Plan, it is
proposed to replace the remaining 6 old CDRs with the new DWRs. The Doppler radars
will make available a large volume of data to researchers for further studies in the
movement and intensity of tropical cyclones which in turn will lead to better warning
services.
During the passage of a cyclone, ordinary anemometers usually get blown off. In
order to estimate the actual wind velocities, it is necessary to install special wind
recorders designed to withstand such high speeds. During 9th and 10th five Year Plans,
Department had installed 20 nos. of high wind speed recorders in the cyclone-prone
coastal areas. During the 11th Five Year Plan, it is proposed to install high wind speed
recorders at 10 more locations on the coastal areas.
The INSAT-based Cyclone Warning Dissemination system which was introduced
in the North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra Pradesh coasts in 1982, has since been
progressively expanded to cover the entire coastline of the country. This service
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provides a means for warning the coastal population directly in the local language,
through selectively tunable receivers even when terrestrial communication links fail
during a cyclone. It has been acclaimed by the media, public, and relief agencies.
During the 10th Plan, 100 nos. of state-of-art Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination
System (DCWDS) receivers were installed in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
During the 11th Five Year Plan, the old analog receivers installed in the early phase at
250 locations will be replaced with the state-of-art DCWDS receivers.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total Rs in
crores
Cyclone Warning & 42.40 147.66 205.62 243.88 476.40
Research 1115.96
8.1.6 Forecasting Services
(i) During the Eleventh Plan, it is proposed to modernize the 11 major field
forecasting offices of the department by providing them real time access to the
main new supercomputer proposed to be established at HQrs office, New Delhi.
This will enable the field offices to obtain high level products for use in day to-day
operational weather forecasting.
(ii) Considering the ever increasing amount of meteorological information/data
required to be handled at the field offices, it is necessary to introduce auto-
plotting and analyzing at all field forecasting centers.
(iii) To strengthen the public relation activities of the department and to further
enhance the public image, it is proposed to establish separate media support
centers for information, publicity and extension activities. At present this activity
is being carried out by the operational forecasters, who are always hard pressed
for time and are therefore, unable to carry out their duties efficiently.
(iv) The forecasting manuals of the department, which are a useful reference
material for all field offices need to be updated and revised suitably by
incorporating latest information and data.
(v) Forecasting set-ups at Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Pune are to be
upgraded to cater to growing requirements.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Forecasting Services 65.00 25.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
105.00
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Major Thrust area (3) – Specialized Meteorological Services
3.7 Aviation Services
Service to aviation is a major operational activity of IMD. During the 11th Plan,
the following areas of growth are proposed in this sector :
a). Modernisation of airport instruments at all major airports to provide accurate
and timely information on parameters crucial to aircraft operations and
aviation safely.
b). Establishment of appropriate type of Doppler Radars at two international
airports to provide warnings for wind shear and microburst phenomena.
c). Exploitation of new Doppler Weather Radar systems for providing warnings
against severe weather.
d). Upgradation of aeronautical observatories keeping in view the expansion of
aviation sector and introduction of air services to new airports.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Aviation Services 92.80 115.80 172.20 255.80 301.00
937.60
3.8 Hydrometeorological Services
Hydrometeorological information is very important for water resources
management.
IMD is providing very important technical inputs for evaluating design criteria for
construction of hydraulic structures. Other services given by IMD include support to
the flood forecasting centres and monitoring of rainfall all over the country.
(i) Work will be continued during 11th plan for preparation of generalized
probable maximum precipitation (PMP) maps for different areas/duration.
Suitable techniques will be evolved for this purpose. Such maps will be of
immense use for the hydrological engineers engaged in the construction of
hydraulic structures.
(ii) It is also proposed to augment the network of permanent snow observatories
Western Himalayas. This is necessary in view of the inadequate snow cover
information for hydrological purpose and for use in long range models for
monsoon predictions.
(iii) Two more Flood Meteorological Offices (FMOs) will be set-up in the
catchment areas prone to flash floods in order to provide better
meteorological support to Central Flood Forecasting Divisions (CFFDs).
(iv) Meteorological component of an externally aided (funded by World Bank)
Hydrology Project (Phase-II) will also be implemented by the Department
during the 11th Five Year Plan. The main objective of this project is to
improve the quality and service of Hydrometeorology data in selected states
of India. The project envisages training of observers, creation of data
centres in the states and upgradation of IMD’s observation and
calibration/test facilities.
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Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Hydro Met Services 10.36 16.88 9.89 1.81 1.55
40.49
8.1.9 Agrometeorological Services
Agrometeorological services of the Department have a direct impact on the
agricultural production. It is necessary to further improve the services during the 11th
Plan by expanding the observational network and having closer co-ordination with state
government authorities. Suitable research/study projects will also be initiated in order to
provide better services to users in particular :
(i) Network of soil moisture observatories will be augmented to 42 (from existing 12
nos.) during 11th plan. Data will also be recorded for use in developing rainfall
budgetary methods for applicaion to agricultural problems.
(ii) The existing Agromet Advisory Services of the Department will be strengthened
by incorporation of additional information on soil temperature, cloudiness, dry
spell/ wet spell etc. which will be better suited to the requirements of the
farmers/end users.
(iii) In order to enhance the accuracy of agrometeorological measurements, it is
proposed to modernize the Central Agromet. Observatory (CagMO) at Pune and
at 3 Agromet Research Units located at Bangalore, Anand and Rahuri. With this,
it would be possible to measure the energy and water balance components in the
crop canopy. Using this data it would be possible to develop crop growth
simulation models.
(iv) Use of remote sensing data will continue be made in Agricultural Meteorology
and further research work will be undertaken for development of crop-specific
growth and yield models. More interaction will be done with other research
groups, particularly at SAC and NRSA who are doing similar work.
(v) Greater interaction with the agricultural agencies is envisaged, particularly in data
exchange and research in inter-disciplinary areas. Interaction with State
Departments of Agriculture and Agricultural Colleges would be brought under an
institutional arrangement to produce farmer oriented advisories for direct
application.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Agrometeorological 141.40 144.92 148.54 152.15 10.58
services 597.59
Major Thrust Area (4) – Seismology and EREC
8.1.10 Seismology
It is proposed to strengthen the existing seismological network by upgrading 20
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existing stations and setting up 20 new observatories.It is also proposed to add 50 more
new seismological observatories to the national seismological network, as part of a
major proposal to setup an optimum seismological network consisting of 177 stations to
improve the detection threshold of locating earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and above
occurring anywhere in the country. To meet the ever increasing requirements of
seismological data transmission/reception, processing, handling and storage, it is
proposed to setup a modern National Seismological Database Centre in IMD, by
deploying state-of-art computer hardware and software and communication equipment
for immediate processing, easy access and safe archival of valuable seismological data
sets.
It is proposed to take up work related to archival and digitization of old seismic
analog charts. A pilot project is proposed for scanning and vector digitization of a few
significant seismic analog charts to establish a technically viable approach.
It is necessary to give more thrust in human resource deveolopment for
Seismology. It is proposed to create a specialized center for training in Seismology .
It is also proposed to set up a modern state-of-art Operational Center for real-
time monitoring of earthquake activity in the country on 24x7 basis and to house the
Operational Center in a well designed ground-floor building to withstand maximum
earthquake forces likely to be expected in Delhi (corresponding to Zone-IV). This would
not only ensure safety to the operational staff but also ensure minimal damage to the
structure due to earthquakes for uninterrupted continuation of operational activities of the
department.
This is another very important service area of the Department which has recently
attracted attention of the public at large and the publicity media in the country
particularly after the Bhuj Earthquake of 26 January, 2001 and Sumatra Earthquake
of 26 Dec., 2004 leading to vast destration on the Coastal areas due to Tsunami.
There have been many reviews and discussions at higher levels in the Government
on this service of the Department. There is an urgent need to further improve this
service during the 11th Plan.
(i) To improve serviceability of seismic equipments, a modern testing and
calibration facility will be established a New Delhi. Seismo Workshop at
Delhi will also be modernized by providing state-of-art machines and
other equipments needed for improving quality of seismic recorders
being fabricated there.
(ii) In order to take up more efficiently the works related to micro-earthquake
survey after the major earthquake it is proposed to procure and set up an
eight element telemetry array system. This will help taking up survey at
short notice. Existing arrangements for such type of activities are not
adequate and efficient.
(iii) For better monitoring of seismic activity over the Gangetic Plan and
Peninsular India, it is proposed to upgrade the network of observatoeies
in the country. New observatories will also be set up and suitable
telecommunication facilities will be created for more efficient data
collection.
(iv) To improve the technical competence of officers and staff for seismology
related works it is also proposed to set up during 11th plan a seismological
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training centre at New Delhi. This centre will provide three levels of
training courses and will be equipped with latest teaching aids.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Seismology 17.46 26.86 16.78 18.15 8.98
88.23
8.1.11 Seismic Hazard and Risk Evaluation
As per seismic zoning of the country over 59% of India’s land area is under threat
of moderate to severe seismic hazard. Damage to life and property can be greatly
reduced by proper land use planning, engineering approaches, strengthening of existing
structures etc. Seismic hazard and risk microzonation is an essential and important tool
for disaster mitigation planning.
Seismic microzonation of Mumbai, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Dehra Dun on
1:10,000 scale and creation of national Database for Seismic Hazard and Regional Risk
appraisal are proposed for the XI th Plan.
The benefits of microzonation can be summarized as improved –
• Resource allocation for remedial upgradation
• Information for planning and mitigation efforts
• Education of the public, land use planning for policy makers, designers and
disaster managers
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Seismic Hazard & Risk 55.62 57.30 53.10 61.14 71.22 298.38
evaluation
Major Thrust Area (5) – Climate & Environment Monitoring and Research
8.1.12 Environmental Studies
(i) Considering the importance of carbon dioxide in global warming, it is necessary
to establish facilities in India for systematic monitoring of concentration of the
gas in the atmosphere. At present only one station in India is in the process of
commissioning for making such measurement on a routine basis. More stations
are proposed to be opened in this planperiod to cover major geographical areas
of the country to get a good estimate of CO2 sources and sinks in the region.
Long time records of this data will be useful for future studies related to global
warming.
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(ii) In view of the impact of different atmospheric constituents on climate change, it
is also proposed to upgrade ozone monitoring and BAPMON activities during
11th Plan by establishing additional stations in the data gap regions and to
provide capability for monitoring other gases such as SO2 and NO2 and laying
stress on aerosols which are now considered to have not only serious health
effects but also significant climate forcings. Aerosol stations would be opened at
around 20 locations covering areas of dust rising, agricultural burning and
urban/ industrial emissions.This data will be useful for systematic environmental
studies. Monitoring of micromet weather parameters will also be strengthened
in view of their importance for boundary layer related studies.
(iii) Systematic studies on environmental urban meteorology and Bio-meteorology
will also be started during 11th Plan to establish relationship between
meteorological parameters and different human activities. Under this
programme calculations of comfort index of various places of interest will also
be done for different seasons. This information will be of direct applications in
tourism.
(iii) A data centre would be opened for archiving observational data and metadata
that are useful their interpretation and providing derived products to users of
different categories
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Environmental Studies 6.00 4.20 3.60 3.60 4.80 22.20
8.1.13 Research
Systematic research on a continuous basis in meteorology is essential as it
has direct bearing on the weather forecasting services. It is, therefore, proposed to
give additional thrust during 11th Plan to a few important research areas :
(i) In order to improve Long range Predictions of monsoon rainfall which has a direct
impact on the Agricultural production, it is proposed to develop improved models
for predictions of rainfall on seasonal, part seasonal and monthly scales over
State and Sub-divisional scales. Further studies on use of a suitable ocean-
atmosphere Coupled General Circulation Model (CGCM) for long range forecast
of different elements will also be undertaken.
(ii) Considering the increasing importance of harnessing conventional source of
energy for various sectors of national economy, it is proposed to further
strengthen the network of wind observations, collect systematic data and make a
systematic analysis in order to assess wind energy potential.
(iii) Upgradation of Drought Research Unit will also be done during the 11th Plan to
map drought prone areas using remote sensing data. The main objective is to
monitor district-wise agricultural droughts and to evolve integrated drought index
based on meteorological, climatological and agricultural parameters.
(iv) For better consideration of overall research activities of the Department and to
evaluate various research proposals received by the Department through various
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institutions, it is also proposed to establish a research monitoring cell in the
Office of ADGM(R), Pune during the 11th Five Year Plan.
(v) With a view to provide better research facilities to the Indian scientists, it is
proposed to construct during 11th Five Year Plan a separate library building in
Pune and to equip it with latest user friendly systems for more efficient and easy
access to the facilities. Present library building is quite old and is inadequate to
handle large number of publications.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Research 6.94 3.10 2.21 2.21 2.21 16.67
8.1.14 Human Resources Development
IMD will continue to provide and maintain training facilities for imparting the necessary
professional skills to IMD personnel to enable them to meet the growing demands of
work. The increasing sophistication in their work arising out of the induction of modern
technology has to be matched with the creation of expertise through specialized training
in satellite, radar, communication s and instrumentation. Computer-aided Learning
would be introduced in a big way. The Central Training Institute at Pune will be
supported by specialized training centres to be set up and/or upgraded at Pune and
New Delhi and regional centres. Advanced refresher courses would be organized
periodically for in-service staff besides ab initio training courses for fresh recruits. This
would provide opportunities to them for career advancement and professional
satisfaction.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
HRD 8.04 9.84 8.04 6.24 5.04 37.20
1.1 National and International Cooperation
Meteorology, being an inter-disciplinary science, opportunities for national and
international cooperation have to be utilized for its development. Also, IMD would
promote further research efforts within India through grants-in-aid to universities and
institutes for pursuing research projects in atmospheric sciences, the result from which
would benefit both the Science and profession of meteorology.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
National /International 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 2.00
Coop
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8.1.16 Infrastructure Development and Maintenance
As a continuing effort towards capacity building, it is proposed to modernize the
Hydrogen Factory, Agra, where the gas required for balloon flights is generated. It is
also proposed to create a similar facility at one more place to reduce transportation
delays and to set up gas-generation facilities at some of field units of operational
importance.
IMD has over the years, added to its infrastructure in terms of office buildings, staff
quarters, trainees’ hostel etc. This aspect needs to be pursued in the coming years as
required for implementing various 11th Plan schemes such as construction of Radar
buildings at Paradeep, Bhuj, Mumbai and renovation of the existing Radar base
structures. Construction of office buildings of newly created meteorological centres viz.
Shimla, Dehra Dun, Raipur, Ranchi and Itanagar will also be completed.
Budget Requirement
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Infrastructure Development 74.72 109.98 107.93 102.74 28.72 424.09
and Maintenance
8.2 NCMRWF
The demands for accurate, reliable, and customized forecast products are increasing
continuously and various sectors of economy are increasingly factoring weather based
advisories in decision making. Numerical modeling forms the back bone for all weather
and climate forecasting systems, all around the world. At the time of establishment,
NCMRWF became the unique global NWP Centre which not only computed weather but
also demonstrated applications.
During the XI Five Year Plan, our main goal is to further improve the accuracy, reliability
and range of medium range weather forecasts, provide regional forecasts at very high
resolution for high impact weather systems, provide modeling support in early warning
systems for weather and climate based disasters, and significantly enhance outreach. In
view of the requirements of the country, particularly the agricultural and economic
planning sectors, complementary goals of extended range/seasonal prediction will also
be vigorously pursued.
Keeping in view the developments and trends in the field internationally and emerging
requirements, it is proposed to focus on the following thrust areas during the eleventh
five year plan:
1. Global Modeling and Data Assimilation System
2. Meso-scale Modeling and Data Assimilation System
3. Extended/Seasonal Prediction System
4. Climate Modeling System
5. Environmental Prediction (Aerosol, pollution, chemical etc.) System
6. Agromet Advisory Services
7. Computing Resources
8. Infrastructure
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8.2.1 Global Modeling and Data Assimilation System
Activity 1: Global Modeling System
Objective: To improve the dynamics and physics of the NWP model. These
improvements will be incorporated in the operational global Model, to enhance quality of
deterministic medium range weather prediction.
This involves the following targets:
• Increase horizontal resolution to T354: (approx. 40 Km) for operations and
T511 (approx 25 km) for research
• Increase vertical resolution to 60 Layers
• Semi-Lagrangian Schemes
• Improve the Parameterization of Physical Processes:
o Boundary Layer
o Radiation (Short-wave & Long-wave)
o Cumulus Convection
o Land Surface Processes
o Air-Sea Interaction
o Mountain Drag
• Implement a Real-time Ensemble Prediction System
using Perturbation Breeding Method
Present Status
Resolution: Both horizontal and vertical resolutions have been increased & T170/L28
model has been developed. Test runs with newer version of the
global model are being carried out.
Ensemble Techniques: An 8 member ensemble prediction system at coarse resolution
has been implemented. This system is based on breeding vector technique and is able
to take into account uncertainties in the initial condition.
Radiation Parameterization: A new shortwave radiation parameterization scheme based
on NASA/Goddard has been implemented in the NCMRWF operational model. The new
shortwave radiation scheme replaced the old-generation GFDL shortwave radiation
scheme. The new scheme takes care of scattering and absorption processes in the
cloudy atmosphere. Zenith angle dependent surface albedo computation is also a part of
the new shortwave scheme. A dust aerosol model has been developed at NCMRWF. It
shows better energy balance between incoming and outgoing fluxes. CCM3 radiation
scheme (shortwave and longwave) is implemented in the NCMRWF global model. This
scheme includes the radiative effects of sulfate aerosols and trace gases like methane,
NOx, CFCs in addition to water vapor, CO2 ,O3 and clouds. Studies indicated that CCM3
radiation scheme is able to produce more realistic surface fluxes and heating rates
compared to the operational radiation scheme.
Convection/ Cloud Parameterization: The Global weather prediction model of NCMRWF
was integrated using two different convection parameterization schemes, namely, the
Simplified Arakawa-Schubert scheme (SAS) and, the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert
Scheme (RAS). These schemes show a strong monsoon flow and better prediction of
rainfall over the Indian subcontinent as compared to the Kuo scheme. Comparison
between SAS and RAS indicated that the former scheme produces relatively better
forecast skill scores in terms of systematic and root mean square errors.
A study was carried out for the utilization of CLW derived from the MSMR on board IRS-
P4 satellite in the NCMRWF model. The analyzed CLW data from IRS-P4 was
compared with similar products from SSM/I on DMSP satellites. Results indicated that
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the model derived CLWP values were within acceptable limits, where as the (MSMR)
observations showed slightly larger values.
Planetary Boundary Layer Processes: Parameterization of the PBL in the NCMRWF
model uses a simple first-order local closure approximation. Impact studies over Indian
region using a more sophisticated TKE closure scheme showed positive results on the
formation and movement of monsoon depressions. The precipitation distribution pattern
also improved to a great extent. Later, a non-local closure approximation for the PBL
was implemented in the NCMRWF model. The overall impact of the non-local scheme
was found to be positive compared to the local scheme. The precipitation distribution
pattern was improved to a substantial extent.
Studies are on to ascertain the sensitivity of the global model towards utilization of
different roughness lengths for heat and momentum and compare the boundary layer
structure with the data from various field experiments over Indian regions. Work on
developing unified boundary layer scheme by assigning weights to various schemes
depending on their individual performances is near completion.
Air-Sea Interaction: It has been shown that coupled evolution of the upper ocean is
significant for medium range weather forecast over the Bay. An upper-ocean model was
coupled to the global circulation model and exploratory simulations were carried out. On
the basis of these works it was felt that work on an ocean data assimilation system for
Bay of Bengal has to be pursued. The use of observed sea surface temperature on the
analysis-forecast cycle was implemented
Proposed activities Higher resolution models with improved physics and dynamics
shall be developed and inducted into operations. Improved ensemble prediction system
in terms of model resolution, ensemble technique, and number of members shall be
developed. Increasing the detail of the radiation parameterization scheme is essential to
improve the forecast of temperature and fluxes. The future modification are to introduce
more accurate cloud-radiation interaction, aerosol-radiation interaction schemes in the
NCMRWF models.
Increasing the detail of schemes that parameterize physical processes, like convection is
essential to improve the model forecast with a realistic prognostic cloud scheme.
Understanding PBL dynamics and developing PBL parameterizations compatible to very
high resolution global model will be undertaken. High resolution Boundary Layer Model
for simulating ABL Eddies (Nested in a High Resolution Mesoscale NWP Model) is
another field on which research work will be carried out that would specifically focus on
utilization of data from field campaigns.
A more detailed land-surface model will be implemented with the corresponding land-
surface assimilation scheme to initialize the surface boundary fields of the global model
Activity 2 : Global Data Assimilation System
Objective : Major objectives of this activity are the following:
• Improved algorithm for 3-DVAR Assimilation
• Development of 4-DVAR Schemes and test runs
• Utilization of all available satellite data
• Assimilation of Radar data
• Land Surface Data Assimilation
• Assimilation of Special Data from Field Experiments/IOP
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Present Status : At present, a three-dimensional variational (3D-VAR) scheme is
operationally implemented at NCMRWF, which utilizes satellite derived observations,
apart from conventional meteorological observations also. Data processing techniques
including decoding, quality-control etc. and assimilation methods have been devised for
new satellite observations (viz. METEOSAT, ERS, MSMR/SSMI, ATOVS, QuickScat) for
its real-time utilization in operational global data assimilation system. Schemes have
been developed in-house to assimilate data from ACARS system. Extensive
Observation System Experiments (OSE) are carried out to determine optimum use of
satellite data. Comprehensive Quality Control system is regularly updated to account for
new types of satellite data. Schemes have been developed to effectively utilize Indian
RS/RW data which otherwise does not get assimilated in other operational global NWP
centers. At present there is no land surface data assimilation. A Rainfall Analysis
scheme has been developed to analyze merged rain gauge and satellite data over the
Indian region.
Proposed activities:
• Improved algorithms for better quality control and assimilation of observations.
• Implementation of a land surface data assimilation scheme.
• Implementation of 4-D VAR assimilation system by the end of the XI Five year
plan
Activity 3 Observation Data Reception, Monitoring, Processing &
Quality Control System
Objective : Major objectives of this activity are to
• Develop tools for data Reception/ Monitoring/Processing, Quality
Control of Data using Comprehensive Quality Control Procedures
Examine Data Rejection Statistics and develop innovative Methods
to improve better Quality data Ingestion into the Assimilation
System
Present Status : Though NCMRWF receives ~80% of conventional data as compared
to that received by other leading NWP centers of the world but in case of satellite
observations it is one order less. It is required to establish bilateral arrangements for
data transmission with some of these agencies for quick acquisition of these voluminous
data sets. Continuous monitoring of data acquisition status is also a very important
task and due to lack of manpower the same could not be dealt with proper importance
Proposed activities : Observation pre-processing such as data selection, thinning,
daily monitoring of different types of observations are some key issues attached with
success of any operational data assimilation system. NCMWF is sharing its monthly data
monitoring report with other NWP centers. Extensive resources have to be deployed
for data monitoring in operational mode. Studies to evolve proper data selection and
thinning criterion over our region of interest have to be undertaken.
Activity 4 Model diagnostics and Verification System
Objective Tools for model diagnostic and model verification will be developed. R &
D works on new verification metrics will be carried out. Research on model systematic
errors will be carried out and models will be improved based on these studies.
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Present Status At NCMRWF, a set of diagnostics, which include forecast
systematic errors and standard verification scores suggested by WMO/CBS are
generated every month on a routine basis. The NCMRWF operational forecasts
compare well with those of the other centres and have demonstrated an acceptable level
of forecast skill. The aim of the verification process is to provide skill and accuracy
reference against which the impact of the subsequent changes in the analysis-forecast
system can be measured. During the recent years several changes have been
implemented in the NCMRWF analysis-forecast system and the model performance has
been evaluated.
Proposed activities The efforts at NCMWRF would continue in understanding the
origin of the systematic errors and reduce them to the extent possible. We also aim to
add some more parameters in the list of diagnostics at NCMRWF.
Total of above 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total
activities
Global Modeling and 1.38 2.02 2.81 2.91 2.69 11.81
Data Assimilation
System
8.2.2 Mesoscale Prediction System
Activity R&D on mesoscale modeling system and data assimilation
for short range weather prediction
Objective Major objectives of this activity are as follows:
• Retrieve high spatial-density data from Satellite/ GPS data,
• Assimilate measurements from radars, aircraft and
conventional surface based networks,
• Utilize a 3D-VAR approach,
• Utilization of fine-mesh mesoscale models
• Generate and validate high-resolution weather predictions,
using boundary conditions from a large-scale global model.
Present Status High impact weather system are manifestation of meso-scale
weather systems embedded with in large scale flow. These cause severe loss to life and
property. Mesoscale models are run routinely to dynamically downscale global model
predictions and to provide accurate weather forecasts for high impact weather systems.
At present, three meso-scale models (MM5, WRF & ETA) are being regularly run at
NCMRWF at different resolutions (10km, 32km, etc.) Data assimilation system (3D-
VAR) compatible to MM5 and WRF have been acquired from National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) under MOU and installed at NCMRWF. Mesoscale data
assimilation in turn needs high resolution observations. Conventional as well as satellite
observations obtained through GTS are being assimilated in this scheme.
Research on impact of physics parameterization in mescoale predictions are being
carried out. Assimilation of Doppler Radar data has been carried out for the first time in
India using a mesoscale data assimilation system. For Mountain Meteorology
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programme of India, special R&D works are being carried out using the mesoscale
models and predictions are prepared for Himalayan regions.
Proposed activities Higher resolution mesoscale models with improved physics and
dynamics shall be developed and inducted into operations. High density observations
will become available from meso-net, satellite and radar system and will be assimilated
using a 3D-VAR approach.
Hurricane WRF(HWRF) is the next generation meso-scale model suitable for simulating
tropical cyclones. Forecast demonstration project relating to land falling tropical cyclone
over Indian region has been initiated recently and several experiments using different
combination of resolutions/nesting, observations, model-physics have to be carried out
over our region to achieve an optimal configuration of the meso-scale modeling system
over our region. This task also require considerable computing resources
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
MESO-SCALE PREDICTION 0.50 0.82 1.10 1.26 1.26 4.94
SYSTEM
8.2.3: Extended-Range/Seasonal Prediction System
Activity R & D on extended-range and seasonal prediction system
Objective Major objectives of this activity are as follows:
• Develop a Multi-Model Ensemble (MME) Prediction
System for Extended-range/Seasonal forecasting of
Rainfall & Temperature
• Test runs with Dynamic MME Schemes
• Dynamically downscale the global model predictions for
regional domain
• Statistical downscaling methods for improving the long-
range forecasts
Seasonal Prediction and Application to Society (SEAPRAS) program at NCMRWF aims
to improve the capacity in India’s resource management to cope with the impacts of
increasing variability of the world's climate, by establishing a platform through which
policymakers and resources managers have better access to, and make better use of,
information generated by climatologists and meteorologists. The objective is to provide
the planners with more reliable seasonal climate prediction information and guidance to
facilitate suitable applications.
Present Status The Seasonal prediction system has state-of-the-art global models
as its major component. The skill of the NCMRWF seasonal prediction system is
comparable to those of other international operational prediction centers around the
world. R&D works are underway to include several other global models in the seasonal
prediction system to generate a multi-model ensemble system to provide the policy
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makers and resource managers a probability distribution function (pdf) prediction of
future climate events. Research works on seasonal prediction for monsoon rainfall are
being carried out at NCMRWF and other research institutions in India. However, an
operational system for seasonal prediction for all the seasons, with an aim to meeting
the demands of several socio-economic sectors is not at place in the country.
Proposed activities Extended/Seasonal predictions are made routinely at a number of
meteorological centres around the world, using comprehensive coupled models of the
atmosphere, oceans, in conjunction with, or as an alternative to empirical methods.
Present-day skill of climate predictions needs to be examined from a social and
economic perspective and attempts to be made to effectively utilize the climate
prediction information. Economic value of seasonal predictions is measured by the
increase in social welfare arising from the use of the prediction in economic decision
making. One of the major concerns with a potential climate change is that an increase in
extreme events will occur. Results of observational studies suggest that in many areas,
extreme precipitation and temperature events have become frequent. Climate model
simulations show changes in extreme events for future climate, such as increases in
extreme high temperatures, decreases in extreme low temperatures, and increases in
intense precipitation events.
Following activities will be carried out to make SEAPRAS a successful program.
(i) Development of the multi-model ensemble prediction system will be
completed in the first year.
(ii) Development of a well-calibrated probabilistic prediction system will be
completed in the second year.
(iii) Development of application systems for water resource management,
energy demand management will be completed by fourth year.
(iv) Drought Monitoring & prediction system will be developed and completed in
the fourth year.
(v) Verification will be carried out from users’ perspective in the fifth year.
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
Extended Range/Seasonal Prediction 0.27 0.58 0.70 0.67 0.52 2.74
System
8.2.4 Computer/Network Infrastructure and Services
Activity Computer/Network Infrastructure and Services
Objective Major objectives are:
Planning; Procurement; Maintenance of computer systems
Graphics/visualization; Software application support, system
Analysis, web design, GIS, Networking
Archival and Retrieval, Data Services
Programme Monitoring and Implementation, Coordination
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Present Status At present the Centre has Cray X1e, Param Padma, Cray
SV1,Origin, Dec-Alpha, O2 systems. Each scientist has been provided a desktop. The
Centre has LAN and internet connectivity. Many of the systems need phasing
out/replacement/upgradation.
Proposed activities Desk tops for additional man power, new desk tops as
replacement of obsolete systems, new servers for data processing, web services,
archival, storage, and periodic upgradation of supercomputing facility and network
bandwidth
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
Computer/Network Infrastructure and 0.50 0.74 1.02 1.10 4.46
service 1.10
8.2. 5 Agromet Advisory
Activity 1 Opening 20 new Agromet. Advisory Service (AAS) Units
Objective To start AAS from all 127 agroclimatic zones of the country
Present Status At present there exist 107 AAS units which are functioning under
different State Agricultural Universities/ Institutes of Indian Council for Agricultural
Research (ICAR). NCMRWF provide grant-in-aid to these collaborating agencies to
defray salary of one scientist, expenditure on TA/DA, contingencies and development of
infrastructure. No grant-in-aid is provided to two of these units as they are opened on
special request by collaborating agencies that are bearing the expenditure themselves.
Also, they are functioning with overlapping domains of the given agroclimatic zones.
Proposed Activities NCMRWF has to cover all the 127 agroclimatic zones and provide
forecast to theses units on a bi-weekly basis. This will require additional grant-in-aid to
be provided to collaborating university/institute for their functioning
Activity 2 : Crop modeling & Decision support system (DSS)
Objective : To develop and use crop model and Decision support system in
farm decision making in AAS
Present Status : Upon the receipt of weather forecast from NCMRWF, a group of
agricultural Scientists at AAS units translate, in a subjective manner, the current and
forecast weather into farm management decisions and advise the farming community
accordingly. Dynamic crop model based Decision Support System (DSS) can be used
as an objective tool efficiently in farm decision making. In this direction NCMRWF has
been demonstrating the use of crop models at some of the AAS units to help in farm
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decision making such as deciding cultivar selection, optimum sowing window, irrigation
scheduling, etc.
Proposed Activities : There is wide variability in terms of intercultural operations in
farm management with in agro-climatic zone, which is not addressed properly in the
present level of advisory. Besides this, availability and use of spatial data/information at
smaller spatial domain scale on crop, soil and other interactive parameters at regular
interval will allow to address the variability present in the farming system and make the
farm advisory more efficient, objective and meaningful. This needs development/
calibration/validation of Crop model and Decision Support System on crop, pest &
disease and livestock management in different agro-climatic zones. This will require
additional manpower and more crop information to be generated at zone level.
Activity 3 Statistical interpretation of NWP model output
Objective To develop SI models for rainfall, temperature, wind speed & direction for
all 107 AAS units for all seasons of the year
Present Status SI models have been developed for rainfall and temperature for 45
stations in monsoon season and for 20 stations in winter season
Proposed Activities SI models to be developed for additional 62 stations in monsoon
season and for additional 87 stations in winter season. SI models to be developed for
other surface parameters like wind speed, wind direction, fog etc for the all-107 stations
for all seasons.
Activity 4 Diagnosis & Synoptic Interpretation of NWP model products
Objective Production and customization of weather forecast in medium
range.
Present Status At present customized medium range weather forecast in a
subjective manner is produced for 107 Agromet. Advisory service units, Min. of
Agriculture, Indian Army, other Govt. agencies, electronic and print media and other user
agencies on daily basis.
Proposed Activities There is need of such customized forecast for smaller spatial domain
and different temporal scale for different purposes. Sectors like power, tourism and
surface transport etc. require it for their regions of concern. Further these forecasts
need to be verified on regular basis. The work requires 15 manpower for the purpose.
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
Total of above 4 activities 08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
1.08 1.23 1.76 1.77 1.62 7.46
Agro-met Advisory System
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District-level Agrometeorological Advisory Service
Activity 1 Preparing District Level Weather Forecast
Objective 1.Compilation of observed and NWP model data for the last 3-4
years
2.Development of SI models for essential surface parameters like
rainfall and surface temperatures, for different seasons
3.Validation and Implementation of these SI models for
operations.
Present Status Presently NCMRWF, is preparing forecast at agro-climatic zone
level, using deterministic methods. The variability of meteorological elements,
particularly rainfall, with in a zone (comprised of 4-5 districts) is so great that more than
often farmers of the country are unable to reap the benefit of the forecast though it may
be correct in broader terms. This necessitates further down scaling the domain of
applicability of the given forecast.
Consequent upon declaration by Hon’ble Minister for Science & Technology to provide
district level forecast for the Monsoon 2005, NCMRWF took lead to generate weather
forecast for districts of India, which is the basic administrative unit for managing the
natural resources. NCMRWF has developed the procedure though which forecast for all
604 districts is being generated on daily basis and placed on its web page
(www//:ncmrwf.gov.in). The district level forecast will have multifarious usage in different
sectors of economy e.g. reservoir management, power generation/distribution,
avalanche forecasting, flood forecasting, transportation, tourism, defense activities etc.
Status of SI models at NCMRWF: Perfect Prog Method (PPM) based SI models have
been developed for monsoon(kharif) and winter(rabi) seasons. At present PPM models
are used for rainfall and temperatures (maximum and minimum) for 45 stations in
monsoon and for 20 stations in winter located in different agricultural climatic zones. SI
forecasts are superior over the DMO forecast by about 10-20%.
Proposed Activities Development of Statistical Interpretation (SI) models for district
level forecast will be undertaken. Other techniques such as bias removal, Kalman filter
etc will also be developed to further improve the forecast skill. They also need to be
intensively validated and verified before they are put to operational use. Hence there is a
need for the procurement of meteorological data at district level.
Activity 2 District-level Agrometeorological Advisory Service (DAAS)
Objective District-level Agrometeorological Advisory Service will be
established..
Present Status The NCMRWF in collaboration with the State Agricultural Universities
(SAUs) is providing Agrometeorological Advisory Service (AAS) at the scale of
Agroclimatic Zone (total 127, each comprised of about 5 districts) based on location
specific Medium Range Weather Forecast. The forecast is prepared by using global, regional
and meso-scale NWP models which are run in operational mode. Model out put is
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subjected to synoptic and statistical interpretation to prepare the zone specific forecast
employing man-machine approach. Agromet Advisory Bulletins comprising of
crop/animal/soil/pest/disease specific expert advise on cultural practices to be carried out
by the farmers of the zone in view of prognosticated weather situations are made available
to the farming community.
NCMRWF has so far established 107 AAS Units and have plan to cover all 127 agro-
climatic zone in near future. The center is providing agro-climatic zone specific day to
today weather forecast for next 4 days twice a week i.e. Tuesday and Friday. On receipt
of the forecasts at the AAS unit, they prepare the medium range weather forecast based
Agrometeorological Advisories in vernacular language in consultation with a panel of
experts in various subject matters of Agriculture. These agro-advisories are
disseminated to the farmers through all possible mass media like newspaper, radio,
television and also through personal contacts by extension workers. In addition, these
bulletins are also provided to authorities of concerned departments like those of
agriculture, horticulture, irrigation, soil conservation, animal husbandry etc. to enable
them to take necessary measures for effective utilization of weather sensitive farm inputs
and practices. During 2004, NCMRWF has also started issuing an All India agro-
advisory bulletin on every Monday during monsoon season for dissemination and
utilization by various departments and agencies both at centre and state levels. Ministry
of agriculture and ICAR have institutionalized several follow up action based on these
reports. A Web based agro-advisory system was also implemented in 2004.
Proposed Activities: Although quite successful and useful in terms of benefits accrued,
the present agro-advisory system at the agro-climatic zone scale is inadequate to deal
with issues related weather sensitivity of sustainable agricultural production owing to
larger variability of farming systems as well as weather and soil, within the agro climatic
zone. In a way, farm production is reflected by the signature of climatic (rainfall)
variability present at sub-district (taluka) scale or even at sub-taluka scales. Present
system lacks in terms of including observations on spatial variability in farm operations
due to non-availability of information on weather, soil condition, sowing decision taken by
farmer, irrigation, fertilizer and chemical application etc. within the zone. Keeping these
considerations in view, NCMRWF plans to expand the farm advisory network from
agroclimatic zone scale to district level in the country. Significant components are listed
below:
Weather & Climate: Current information on various high impact weather events such as
extreme temperatures, heavy rains, floods, and strong winds etc. are desirable to be
included in advisory. Using historical climate data, climatology of various kinds need to
be prepared for each and every location to support the agricultural decision making.
There is a need for the procurement of historical and real time meteorological data at
district level.
Agro-advisory: Development of dynamic model based Decision Support System (DSS)
on crop, pest & disease and livestock management for use of spatial data to increase
the timeliness of planting, spraying operations, irrigation applications, fertilizer
applications, etc will be undertaken. Advisory content shall vary with location, season,
weather, crop condition, and local management practices. The advisories is also
envisaged to serve as early warning system for alerting producers to the implications of
various weather events such as extreme temperatures, heavy rains, floods, and strong
winds.
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Information dissemination system: Timely dissemination of weather observations,
forecasts, advisory bulletins to the end users is critical for their beneficial use in farm
management. Besides the existing communication network between NCMRWF and its
AAS units at ACZ level, it is envisaged to use the reliable communication facility of
National Informatic Centre (NIC) operating at district level for information transfer among
NCMRWF, AAS units and all the districts. This uninterrupted information transfer
includes reception of agrometeorological observations at NCMRWF from AWS,
dissemination of Medium Range Weather Forecasts from NCMRWF to AAS units and
centers at district level, and dissemination of weather forecast based advisory from AAS
unit to respective district centers and NCMRWF. District level advisory may further reach
down the line to the block/sub-taluka level using communication system under the
control of district authorities.
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
District-level Agrometeorological 0.54 0.82 0.98 0.98 0.68 4.00
Advisory Service
Grant-in-Aid for Agrometeorological 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 63.50
Units(AMFUs)
8.1 IITM
The Research in Tropical Meteorology is the ongoing scheme which involves the
following :
• Asian Monsoon Variability and Predictability
• Application of Satellite Data in Weather Forecasting and Large-Scale
Hydrological Modelling
• Short-Term Climate Diagnostics and Prediction
• Cloud Modelling
• Middle Atmosphere Dynamics
• Aerosol and Climate Studies
8.3.1 Asian Monsoon Variability and Predictability
Land-surface processes over the northern hemisphere mid-latitudes and the air-
sea interaction over the tropical oceanic region play an important role in the
interannual/decadal variability of monsoon rainfall. Hence to better understand and
predict monsoon rainfall variability studies on global connections are essential. The
study will be continued in the 11th Plan Period.
Objectives
• To understand and predict the Indian monsoon rainfall (IMR) variability on
intraseasonal, interannual and decadal time scales and its connection with low-
frequency phenomena such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North
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Atlantic Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific/North America
(PNA) pattern and West Pacific Oscillation (WPO) using conventional and advanced
statistical/empirical techniques.
• To isolate regions which are more closely linked for the snow-monsoon connections
in relation to monsoon variability using historical Soviet snow depth and INSAT
derived Himalayan snow cover data.
• To understand the causes of the decadal variability of monsoon rainfall over the
Asian domain.
• To explore connections of IMR variability within the Asian monsoon domain and
other monsoonal regions of the world.
8.3.2 Application of Satellite Data in Weather Forecasting and Large-Scale
Hydrological Modelling
Numerical Weather Prediction requires complete and accurate description of
atmospheric state. For the detailed study of weather system developed on oceanic
region from its initial state to its dissipation state, hourly/half hourly data are required
frequently on real time basis. In order to alleviate data sparsity problem over oceanic
region, it is better to use satellite observed data for obtaining the vertical temperature
profiles etc. Also, through four dimensional data assimilation the past data can be used
in optimum way for the analyses of meteorological parameters.
Importance of hydrological modelling for practical purposes as well as scientific
purposes while it is useful to understand the sustainability of natural ecosystem is of
great help in planning, management and implementation of agricultural activities.
Knowledge of basin scale hydrological cycle is of great significance in the exploration
and management of the water resources. There is tremendous emphasis in the modern
meteorological research to understand the role of hydrological processes on the weather
and climate of different spatial and temporal scales.
Objectives
• To acquire the satellite data like moisture/precipitable water, satellite observed winds,
surface winds over oceanic region, outgoing long wave radiation (OLR) snow cover,
soil moisture, vegetation index and sea surface temperature (SST) from the INSAT,
GMS, METEOSAT, IRS-P4, NOAA, TOVS, archive and process the data for
research applications. To use the IRS-P4 MSMR data for understanding the features
of cyclones and monsoon depressions.
• To develop hydrological model for large-scale estimation of run-off and soil moisture
using satellite derived rainfall, vegetation distribution and soil moisture for selected
(hydrologically, agriculturally, ecologically and tectonically important) river basins of
the country and understand the role of surface wind stress and spatial shift in the
rainfall activities on the vagrancy of the courses of river.
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8.3.3 Short-Term Climate Diagnostics and Prediction
Climate has now been globally recognized as one of the most critical factors in
socio-economic development, present as well as future. Therefore, a concerted effort will
be made in the present research scheme to orient climate research being done at this
Institute towards development of specific climate applications in the areas of agriculture,
water resources and public health etc. This is believed to help the Indian population at
large in coping with the climate variability in a much better way by effectively
incorporating the seasonal climate information into the decision making processes at
different levels.
Objectives
• To develop the necessary background and capability for true end-to-end application of
seasonal climate forecasting in the areas of agriculture, water resources, public
health, etc.
• To develop climate forecast products tailored to suit the user requirements and to
demonstrate the value of seasonal forecasts for the decision making in the areas of
agriculture, water resources, etc.
8.3.4 Cloud Modelling
Theoretical investigations relating to cloud modelling would help simulate
precisely the physical and dynamical processes representative of the natural conditions
in real clouds and investigate the seeding effects in warm and cold clouds. Similarly,
modelling of fog/hail processes under a variety of atmospheric conditions and simulation
of the effect of existing techniques for their modification would facilitate not only for
understanding the microphysics and dynamics but also for evaluating the efficacy of
different seeding techniques in improving visibility, particularly for air traffic operations
and to minimize the losses to crop production activities. These studies are essential for
advancing the present knowledge of numerical simulation of cloud/precipitation
processes existing in monsoon clouds, and also to modify the fog/hail forming under
different meteorological conditions over specific regions in the country.
Objectives
• To carry out numerical simulation of cloud and precipitation processes for the study
of the physical and dynamical properties of natural conditions in real clouds and to
compare with the satellite-derived cloud observations.
• To undertake mathematical modelling and computer simulation of fog/hail processes
under different atmospheric conditions and documentation of techniques available for
their suppression.
• To undertake simulation of silver iodide/salt seeding of cold/warm clouds and
investigate the seeding effects.
8.3.5 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics
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For understanding the variations in rainfall and associated meteorological
phenomena, the troposphere-stratosphere coupling and the influence of middle
atmosphere dynamics on tropospheric circulation systems would be essential. Similarly
the middle atmosphere responses to solar and geomagnetic activities are considered to
be important for the physical understanding of meteorological phenomenon in the
troposphere.
Objectives
• To study the long-term changes and trends in ozone and other climate forcing
parameters, and global change scenarios.
• To investigate interactions between tropospheric circulation, ozone and lower
stratospheric temperature over tropics.
• To study stratosphere-troposphere coupling/ exchange processes.
8.3.6 Aerosol and Climate Studies
An understanding of the role of atmospheric aerosols and gases in the forcing
mechanism and the forecasting of changes in global climate and in geosphere biosphere
processes is necessary. In order to understand the role of these constituents in the
climate system in influencing the atmospheric radiation regular and systematic
measurements of aerosols and trace gas distribution is essential.
Objectives
• To monitor atmospheric aerosols, trace gases up to stratospheric altitudes using
optical and solar radiometric remote sensing techniques and build aerosol and
trace gas climatology for assessing long-term climatic impacts and trends for the
study of troposphere-stratosphere exchange processes.
• To carry out measurement of greenhouse gases using ultraviolet, visible and
infrared spectrometers.
• To develop atmospheric correction schemes for satellite data retrieval and
comparison of aerosol and trace gas observations from LIDAR, Radiometer
Spectrometer with in-situ and satellite observations.
• To study radiative forcing parameters due to aerosols and trace gases and their
role in climate and climate change.
• To measure air pollutants and undertake studies relating to atmospheric chemistry
and acid rain for assessment of the impact of air pollutants on the environment vis-
a-vis climate system.
Upgradation of the following Existing Facilities is envisaged :
Stable Isotope Laboratory
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The dendroclimatology work is handicapped by the lack of a stable isotope
laboratory. It will be equipped with mass spectrometers and other necessary
equipments. This would also be an important new palaeoclimatology activity.
Instrumented Tower for continuous Boundary Layer Measurements
For continuous measurements of the boundary layer turbulence parameters the
existing micrometeorological tower will be augmented with new instruments. With this
tower sustained high resolution measurements of turbulent parameters in the boundary
layer will be made for development of parameterization of surface fluxes, based on
understanding of relationship between turbulent fluxes and large scale environments.
Restructuring of Existing Workshop Infrastructure Facilities
The workshop facilities will be modernized for advanced needs of the Institute by
restructuring of the mechanical facilities and by initiating Electronic section. Specialized
instruments required for observational experiments will be fabricated at this Workshop.
Budget Requirement
Rs. in Crores
Programmes 2007- 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Estimated
08 cost
Asian Monsoon 6.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 2.00 17.00
Variability and
Predictability
Application of 6.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 18.00
Satellite Data in
Weather
Forecasting and
Large-Scale
Hydrological
Modelling
Short-Term 6.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 18.00
Climate
Diagnostics and
Prediction
Cloud Modelling 5.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 21.00
Middle 5.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 21.00
Atmosphere
Dynamics
Aerosol and 5.00 4.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 18.00
Climate Studies
33.00 21.00 20.00 19.00 20.00 113.00
Total
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9. New programmes
9.1. IMD
The new schemes are based on demands that have been received from various
quarters in some cases as a result of the Governments policy of unifying Disaster
Management and in some cases for establishing a single window system of
meteorological forecasting and in some for packaging products for media dissemination
involving latest technologies like DTH, Mobile phones etc.
The schemes that have been identified are as follows:
Major Thrust Area – Forecasting System
Sub Thrust Areas
7. District Meteorological Information Centers (DMIC). - new programme
8. Early Warning System. - new programme
Major Thrust Area – Climate & Environment Monitoring & Research
Sub Thrust Areas
14 Climate Research and Monitoring. - new programme
9.1. 1 District Meteorological Information Centers (DMIC)
Meteorological information is sought at District levels which can be supplied in a
customized manner with location specific value additions. This responsibility falls on the
State Met centre to prepare such products and use IT infrastructure to network
adequately with local Governments. The District is also a revenue unit requiring
representative climatology. In addition the District level liason man shall also work as the
representative to collect crop related information to hand over to the Pune Agromet
office for generation of crop advisories. Thus the work at location would involve
inspection of installations, collecting data and liasoning. The cost of networking IT
equipment and supplementary cost of office maintenance have been projected.
Budget Requirement:
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
DMIC 19.20 55.20 30.00 40.80 58.80 204.00
1.1.1 Early Warning System
This scheme seeks to generate capability of the IMD to generate media compatible
information products at all forecasting office levels ie State Governments and
Headquarter Delhi. Visuals, Audio and movies capabilities will be built up. There would
be media centres at all levels mentioned above. In addition there would be digital
communication based warning services that would be activated at forecast centres and
would reach various levels of Disaster Management Authority instantaneously.
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Budget Requirement :
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Early warning System 2.95 21.66 23.19 23.16 13.04 84.00
1.1.2 Climate Research and Monitoring
During the 11th Plan, it is proposed to take up studies of various biological and chemical
processes involved in global change as part of IMD contribution to the International
Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP). Efforts of international scientific community
will focus on the CLIVAR (climate variability) Programme as a major thrust area of the
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Under this programme, as part of India
Climate Programme, IMD will conduct further studies on Monsoon and its Predictability,
Stratospheric Processes and their role in climate and impact of anthropogenic aerosols.
These studies will lead to better understanding of physical processes involved in global
and climate change which is one of the high priority area of research all over the world.
Application of neural network for prediction is increasing in recent years in various
disciplines and it continues receiving attention of World Scientific Community. Extensive
research in this area will be conducted during 11th Plan to explore possibility of weather
prediction by this technique. Further studies on use of chaotic theory to forecast
meteorological parameters in different time scales will also be undertaken.
Existing computer system installed in the National Data Centre (NDC),Pune would be
inadequate to meet the future demands of climate data users as 5 million additional
records of data are being added every year. It is, therefore, proposed to replace the
present system during 11th Plan with a new system to meet future increased
requirements of various users including use for various research projects. In order to
meet regional demands more expeditiously, it would also be necessary to establish 6
small separate regional data centers.
Department is maintaining daily meteorological data records of past 110 years on
magnetic media. This data set will be transferred on latest type of suitable media so as
to manage the data in a more efficient manner consistent with the ever increasing
demands of users.
It is also necessary to properly archive analysed weather charts of past 100 years which
is a valuable data source for future work. In order to increase the utility of these charts it
would be useful to store them on latest type of media in easily accessible form after
digitization.
A National Climate Centre is functioning in the Office of ADGM ( R ), Pune since last
several years. During the 11th Plan the activities of this center will be further expanded
for monitoring climate over India and neighbourhood and for carrying out diagnostic
studies. Suitable climate model will also be adopted and operationalised after detailed
studies. With these expanded activities it will be possible to organize a climate
information service for users.
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Budget Requirement:
Sub-Thrust Areas 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total (Rs in
crores)
Climate Research & 2.64 12.78 1.68 1.86 1.92 20.88
Monitoring
9.2 NCMRWF
9.2.1: Satellite Radiance Data Assimilation System
Activity: R&D on schemes to assimilate satellite radiance data and subsequent
use in operations
Objective: Assimilation of all satellite radiance data
Present Status : At present, a three-dimensional variational (3D-VAR) scheme is
operationally implemented at NCMRWF, which utilizes satellite derived observations,
apart from conventional meteorological observations also. Data processing techniques
including decoding, quality-control etc. and assimilation methods have been devised for
new satellite observations (viz. METEOSAT, ERS, MSMR/SSMI, ATOVS, QuickScat) for
its real-time utilization in operational global data assimilation system. Schemes have
been developed in-house to assimilate data from ACARS system. Comprehensive
Quality Control system is regularly updated to account for new types of satellite data.
Proposed Activities : As generally large uncertainties are associated with satellite
derived products, all the leading NWP centers of the world are assimilating satellite
measured radiances directly, instead of derived products.
Satellite observations are continuous in time (asynoptic) and the best way of assimilating
asynoptic observation is 4D-Var (space & time) technique. 4D-VAR expects basic
radiance as input from various satellites. A 4-D var assimilation system with radiance
data assimilation will be implemented.
Mechanism to receive and monitor high volume satellite data in real time from national
and international satellite application Centres like NOAA NESDIS, EUMETSAT SAF,
CIMSS, KNMI, NASA, ISRO SAC, IMD, INCOIS etc. shall be established.
Budget Requirement
2007-08 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
SATELLITE RADIANCE 0.27 0.58 0.74 0.67 0.75 3.01
DATA ASSIMILATION
SYSTEM
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9.2.2 Climate Modeling System
Activity 1 R&D on ’climate modeling’ part of climate change science
Objective Major objectives of this program are to develop an ‘Earth System Climate
Model’ to be used in climate time scale simulations and predictions. It will comprise of
the main modules of atmosphere, ocean and land. The dynamics and physics in each of
these components will be in accordance with the climate scale as the target. It should be
able to simulate the 21st century climate realistically. The representation of monsoon and
its teleconnections to other major climate components of the earth climate system has to
be realistic in climate scale. This model will have the capabilities to project future
climate scenarios under various possible conditions and the extremes.
Present Status The atmosphere and land components of the model are available.
The atmospheric data assimilation system is also available. The major modeling centers
of the world are moving in the direction of the concept of ‘Seamless Suite’ of models.
Proposed Activities A more sophisticated version of the land model with land
assimilation has to be developed. A global ocean model and the corresponding
assimilation system (projected separately under independent head) will also be linked to
this climate model. A proper strategy of coupling the three models will be developed and
tested.
Activity 2 Ocean State Modelling, Data Assimilation & Coupled
Modeling System
Objective Main objectives of this activity are :
• To build a global ocean model/assimilation System to be
coupled with the atmospheric model for dynamical
extended/seasonal prediction
• Improvement of the currently used Ocean Wave Model
Present Status Ocean State Forecast System has been implemented at the
Centre. Ocean Wave Height Forecasts are issued to INCOIS and other agencies. A
Stat-of-the-Art of Global Ocean Model is being implemented. A new Ocean-Data
Assimilation System (and model) is being developed. An operational Ocean Data
Assimilation system is a critical and essential component for any further progress in
including ocean-atmosphere coupled interaction in the forecast process for extended
and seasonal prediction.
Proposed Activities A new Ocean-Data Assimilation System will be available. A new
coupled ocean-atmosphere model will be developed for medium range to long- range
predictions. A better ocean state analysis will be available. Implementation of an ocean-
data assimilation system which will try to use every available information from the seas
around India available from DOD and other international sources. As mentioned earlier
this is and essential component for including two-way interaction in coupled ocean
atmospheric forecasting in medium or seasonal scales. It is essential that in the coming
1-2 years an experimental system is put in place and in 5 years time a fully functional
system is used for providing initial conditions for coupled models.
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Activity 3 R&D on weather & climate monitoring
Objective Major objectives of this program are to develop a system for Weather
Monitoring: Extreme Events- Heavy Rainfall, Avalanches, Cloud bursts, Cyclones etc.
Climate Monitoring:: Droughts, Floods, MJO, Aerosols, Development of Indices to
monitor Extreme Climate events
Present Status Currently this activity is carried out as a low-key affair due to lack
of adequate man power. A monitoring & prediction system for MJO is being developed.
Drought monitoring over India is being carried out on weekly basis. Some studies have
been initiated for large-scale transport of aerosols.
Proposed Activities A new monitoring system will be developed for weather & climate
system. This system will be for global weather & climate. Indices will be developed for
extreme climate events. Monthly report on weather & climate monitoring will be brought
out. This report will be helpful in medium-range and seasonal prediction. This activity will
also supplement the examination of frequency of occurrence of extreme weather and
climate events.
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
Climate Modeling System 0.69 0.59 0.86 0.56 0.56 3.26
9.2.3 Environmental Prediction System
Activity R&D on Environmental Prediction (Aerosol, pollution, chemical)
Objective Main objectives of this activity is to develop an Environmental
Prediction (Aerosol, pollution, chemical) System
Present Status The problem of trace gases and aerosols in the atmosphere is
important from the point of climate change and weather forecasting. Seasonal and
medium range forecasting may have to include the present day distribution of such
materials in the atmosphere rather than long term averages as done now. In addition to
that the forecasting and simulation of long range transport of tracers is of practical
application as a weather forecast product, in relation to catastrophic release of
radioactive material, volcanic dust and intercity-transport of pollutants. NCMRWF have
been engaged in capacity building in this area for the last 8-9 years. During this period
we have achieved the following:
(i) Built up systems for calculating air-trajectories.
(ii) In collaboration with the Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany we have
studied the climatology of the global distribution of trace gases. Carried out studies
on transport processes of soluble, insoluble idealized tracers and chemical tracers
over India.
(iii) The interface for running the MATCH-MPIC Model with NCMRWF products was
developed .
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Proposed Activities: A global chemical forecast system to simulate the ambient air-
quality will be made operational in 2-3 years time. A forecast system for intercity
transport and regional transport of idealized tracers will be set up. This will be run at
varying spatial resolutions for use in emergency response. In the next five year period
work on assimilation of observations of trace gases will be initiated.
Budget Requirement
2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
Environmental Prediction System 0.23 0.31 0.20 0.20 0.20 1.14
9.2.4 :Computer/Network Infrastructure Upgradation
Activity Computer/Network Infrastructure Upgradation
Objective Major objectives are
• Upgrade the Supercomputer depending upon the model resolution and number
of members of the Ensemble Forecast system. Upgrade the desktop systems.
• Establish a dedicated communication link between NCMRWF and 107 AAS
units.
• Upgrade the Internet Leased Line (ILL) depending on the requirement of
reception of Satellite Radiance Data and establish Internet Private leased Line
Circuit (IPLC) between NCMRWF and Satellite Data Centres in US and Europe.
• The data and NWP products are going to be so voluminous that NCMRWF will
need to establish a Data warehouse that shall be much different from the Data
archive. Explore the possibility of Grid Computing and Distributed Database.
• Upgradation of all associated infrastructure like UPS, Diesel Generator, Network
bandwidth commensurate with the requirement of Compute Power. Establish a
Gas based Captive Power Plant.
• Establish a Microwave link between NCMRWF and Mausam Bhavan for
uninterrupted Data reception.
This activity involves developing and implementing practical algorithms, making
the best use of the available computer resources and continuously upgrade the
compute infrastructure.
Present Status At present the Centre has Cray X1e, Param Padma, Cray SV1,Origin,
Dec-Alpha, O2 systems. Each scientist has been provided a desktop. The Centre has
LAN and internet connectivity. Many of the systems need phasing out/replacement/
upgradation.
Proposed Activities :Replacement of obsolete systems, new servers for data processing,
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web services, archival, storage, and periodic upgradation of supercomputing facility and
network bandwidth
Budget Requirement
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
12 (Rs in
crores)
Computer/Network 80.00 20.00 15.00 65.00 8.00 188.00
Infrastructure
Upgradation
9.2.5 Infrastructure Development and other facilities
Activity Capital expenditure in respect Infrastructure Development and Other
facilities
Objective
• Existing Office Interior Furnishing; modular furniture; partitioning for
space utilization and Seating Arrangement for optimal usage of floor area;
• Auditorium Interior Finishing and Furnishing; Augmentation of
Conferencing and Meeting Rooms with Audio and Visual Support
• Multi-Story Building for accommodating additional Manpower and
• BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate; Housing Complex
• Hiring of Professional Services/ Surveys and Programme Implementation
Analysis/ Value Added Services
• Planning, Procurement, Commissioning and Maintenance of appropriate
Supportive Infrastructure – Gas Based Captive Power Source; UPS; Air-
conditioning; House Keeping; Office Automation; Internet Bandwidth for
Video Conferencing and Web casting; Visualization and Visual Application
Environment; Security etc.
• Capacity Building, International Exchange Programmes, Strategic
Partnership, Promotion of R&D on Weather & Climate Modeling in the
country
• Strengthening of Library and Documentation Facility
Budget Requirement
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
12 (Rs in
crores)
Infrastructure 35.60 19.60 18.60 6.60 6.50 86.90
Development Other
Facilities and capacity
building
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9.3 IITM
Climate Dynamics and Extended Range Prediction of Monsoon
The agricultural prediction and water resources of the country depend primarily on
the monsoon rainfall. Therefore, prediction of monsoon climate, namely the seasonal
mean rainfall over the country has major influence on the country’s economy. While
prediction of seasonal mean all Indian rainfall (AIR) about a season in advance is useful
for making some policy decisions, it is not so useful for agricultural planning due to (i)
large inhomogeneity of rainfall within the country and (ii) requirement of temporal
evolution of rainfall within the season. Therefore, it is even more important to predict the
active and break spells of the monsoon about 3-4 weeks in advance. Hence, two specific
requirements for extended range prediction of monsoon are:
a) Long-range prediction (about a season in advance) of seasonal mean monsoon
rainfall, and
b) Region specific prediction of active and break phase of the monsoon 3-4 weeks in
advance.
Indian meteorologists in particular IITM have made significant contribution in
developing empirical models for long-range prediction of seasonal mean monsoon
rainfall. However, all such models have an intrinsic limitations, namely they are unable to
capture the extremes. Hence, it is recognized that the logical alternative is to use
dynamical climate models based on physical laws to predict the monsoon.
Over the last two decades, the conceptual basis for climate prediction has been
established. Considerable research on predictability of the monsoon (including some
pioneering work by IITM scientists) has established that the Indian Summer Monsoon
has a limited potential predictability. It has also been recognized that ocean-atmosphere
coupling is crucial in determining the potential predictability of the monsoon. Therefore, a
coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model will be required for predicting the monsoon.
However, all the climate models, from anywhere in the world, currently have either zero
or negative skill in predicting the monsoon rainfall. The challenge is to improve the
prediction system (including the model, the data assimilation and forecast strategy) to
achieve the potentially achievable skill.
In India, we are still experimenting with short runs of atmospheric GCMs and we
have a long way to go even to reach the level achieved elsewhere. But if we want to
achieve the goal of reaching the limit on potential predictability, we have to better the
efforts made elsewhere in the world. IITM proposes to develop such a system. However,
it would require (i) massive investment on computing infrastructure (ii) induction of a
number of experts on different aspects of coupled modeling including data assimilation
and (iii) investment on training and physical infrastructure.
Regarding the prediction of active and break spells, IITM scientists have done
some pioneering work on developing empirical method for such prediction. It is proposed
that such a technique is made operational and dynamical method is developed for
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predicting these spells. It may involve also a coupled model and innovation in data
assimilation and initialization.
Improvement of forecast skill depends on improvement of models which in turn
depends on improvement of parameterization of physical process in these models. Such
improvement can come only through basic research in these areas. Therefore, vigorous
basic research is essential for improvement of forecast skills of prediction models. One
area where most models are deficient is, in the formulation of convective processes. A
better understanding of interaction of small scale convective process with its large-scale
environment can go a long way in improving parameterization of cumulus convection in
GCMs. For this, specialized observations and modelling are required. Therefore, we are
proposing a project on ‘Interaction betweencloud and environment and formation of
precipitation’.
The new scheme of 11th Five Year Plan of the Institute consists of the following
three components:
• Science Plan
• Infrastructure
• Manpower
9.3.1 Dynamical Prediction System of Seasonal Mean Monsoon Rainfall
This would involve development of coupled ocean-atmosphere-land models,
testing them for simulation of the mean climate, developing data assimilation techniques
and developing prediction methodologies. It would require hundreds of years of
simulations with a coupled model. It would also require plenty of simulations of the
individual component models (e.g. the atmosphere model, the ocean model etc). The
computing infrastructure for such activity does not exist currently at IITM. It is proposed
to establish a major high performance computing facility as a central facility at IITM
during this plan that will cater to computing needs of this activity as well as that of other
activities. In addition to the major computing infrastructure, we would require at least 15
additional senior scientists with various expertise to achieve the goal of this project.
Such a prediction system is crucial for the IMD but does not exist in the country.
Once established, we shall be in a position to train some scientists and transfer the
system to the IMD. Once fully developed, the system will give us a lot of spin-off science.
For example, we should be able to study the role of air-sea interactions on monsoon
variability and predictability.
Objectives
• Selection and testing of atmospheric and oceanic components for integrating in to
a coupled model.
• Development of a coupling strategy.
• Evaluation of simulation of global climate and monsoon climate by the coupled
model and diagnosis of systematic bias.
• Development of techniques of assimilating in situ as well as remotely sensed data
in to the coupled model.
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• Development of a strategy for forecast of seasonal mean monsoon.
• System for experimental forecast of seasonal mean monsoon.
• Study of air-sea interaction and monsoon predictability.
1.1.1 Extended- Range Prediction of Active and Break Spells of the Monsoon
While the prediction of the seasonal mean is important, the predictability of the
seasonal mean may be limited. Also, seasonal all India mean rainfall may not be very
useful and meaningful when the mean is close to normal. This is because the regional
distribution of rainfall anomalies is very inhomogeneous when the all India mean is close
to normal. On the other hand, prediction of active and weak spells of the monsoon even
3 weeks in advance could be very useful for sowing, harvesting and water resources
management. It is proposed to develop a system to predict the active and break spells 3-
4 weeks in advance. It will involve empirical techniques as well as dynamical coupled
models. The models developed under (4.1.1) will be useful for this purpose also.
Objectives
• Development of an empirical method for predicting active and break monsoon.
• Use of daily rainfall data along with other parameters.
• Study of air-sea interaction associated with monsoon intraseasonal oscillation
(ISO).
• Attempt to use an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) to predict the
phases of the ISOs.
• Use of a coupled model for predicting the ISO phases.
• Data assimilation and slow manifold initialization for improving the forecasts.
1.1.2 Science of Climate Change and Monsoon
Some interesting work on monsoon under climate change scenarios has been
done at IITM. In the next few years, we shall endeavour to establish a multi model mean
and the range of uncertainty in simulation and prediction of regional monsoon rainfall
under different scenarios. The coupled model platform indicated in (4.1.1) will
extensively be used here.
Objectives
• Estimation of monsoon climate under different climate change scenarios through
downscaling using a regional climate model.
• Sensitivity of the estimate of monsoon climate under climate change due to
downscaling of the output from a large number of global models.
• Quantification of uncertainty in estimation of monsoon climate under climate
change scenarios.
• Roles of internal variability and external forcing in predicting the future monsoon
climate.
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1.1.3 Urban Air pollution and Transport Modelling
Some work on air-pollution studies and chemical transport modelling exists in the
Institute. It is proposed that bringing this expertise together and a comprehensive urban
air pollution and transport model would be developed. For developing and testing such a
modelling platform a meso-net may be developed around Pune and special intense
observations during some specific periods may be planned.
Objectives
• Development of a regional model with active chemistry for many pollutants
embedded in a large scale transport model.
• Collection of data of chemical components over urban locations.
• Verification of model simulation and predictions.
• Estimation of impact of some of these pollutants (e.g. ozone) on regional climate.
9.3.5 High Performance Computer and Data Centre
The existing computing infrastructure at IITM is very insufficient. The proposed
modelling work needs to develop a state of the art monsoon prediction system. The
development process requires a computing system with about 3 teraflop number
crunching capabilities with appropriately large memory and an automatic data storage
and retrieval system with about 100 terabyte storage capacity. This central facility will
cater to the need of all the scientists from different modelling groups.
Development of a coupled model requires quick turn around (within a few days) of
• Multiple multidecadal integration of a global Atmospheric General Circulation
Model (AGCM) with approximate resolution of T63 and 30 levels in the vertical.
• Multiple multidecadal simulations with a global ocean general circulation model
(OGCM), with 1º resolution in zonal direction and variable in meridional direction
(about 1/3º near the equator going to about 2º after about 20º latitude).
• Coupling of the AGCM and OGCM and testing the model for long integration,
evaluation of the “climate drift”.
• Based on the nature of the “climate drift” (i), (ii), (iii) may have to repeated many
times before the drift is brought under control and the simulation of the coupled
climate is reasonable.
• Running the data assimilation programs for many cases involving running the
model and its adjoint.
• Multidecadal integration of the high resolution Regional Climate model
corresponding to a large number of global climate state for the future climate from
large number of global climate models.
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• Chemical Transport modeling involving a global GCM and embedded in it is
regional model with chemistry.
• Ensemble hindcast (may be 40 members) of past 30 monsoon seasons made by
the coupled model, and their verification and evaluation of the hindcast skill.
• Running of tropical cyclone coupled model and data assimilation.
• Simulation and prediction of intense rainfall events using a high resolution non-
hydrostatic mesoscale model.
• Multicentury run of the coupled model to study the dynamics and predictability of
monsoon multidecadal oscillation.
9.3.6 Observation Programmes for Studies of Interaction between Clouds and
their Environment
There is considerable expertise at IITM in making observations of various
atmospheric parameters. In particular, considerable work has been done on
measurement of cloud microphysical properties, aerosols, cloud electricity, etc. using
variety of techniques. However, simultaneous measurements of environmental
parameters (e.g. winds, temperature, humidity profile, etc.) were not available. As a
result interaction between those microphysical processes and the environment could not
be studied. A new focused problem for study is the interaction between cloud and
environment for formation of precipitation.
In order to understand the interaction between clouds and their environment as
well as to estimate cloud contribution to the redistribution of energy and water in the
climate system, simultaneous measurements of cloud microphysical parameters (e.g.
drop size spectrum, liquid water content, phase of hydrometeors, etc.) are required
together with measurements of environmental parameters (e.g. 3-d wind). So far such
measurements are being taken in isolation. It is proposed to put together a system of
Doppler precipitation cum weather radar on a mobile platform. Therefore, it would be a
multiparameter system. It could be a continuation of a Ka band radar at 35.35 GHz and
a W-band radar 95.13 GHz with Doppler and polarization capabilities. A Mobile Doppler
Precipitation cum Weather Radar will serve the purpose. An expert committee has been
constituted to work out the details of the configuration required for the purpose. It would
be extremely helpful in developing 3-D cloud models and its interaction with the
environment. Following activities will be taken up with the acquisition of the Mobile
Doppler Precipitation cum Weather Radar.
• Make simultaneous measurements of cloud microphysical parameters and wind and
precipitation rate for a complete monsoon season at Pune. Archive the data at high
resolution.
• Study of formation, growth and evolution of clouds and its interaction with the
environment.
• Collection of similar data on a number of sits under different weather conditions. For
example a campaign may be carried out some where in Mumbai (heavy rains from
shallow clouds) and in our Delhi Branch (for convective clouds in the absence of
orography).
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• Use of the facility during national field experiments like STORM and CTCZ.
• Use of this data base to develop and verify cloud resolving models (CRMs).
ii) Setting up a Lightning Location Network for Thunderstorm Dynamics and
Prediction consisting of a central processor and several sensors which are spread over
an area of several hundred square kilometers is proposed to be set up. Each sensor
linked with the central processor through satellite detects the occurrence of a lightning
flash within about 250 kms of its location. After detecting the occurrence of lightning,
each sensor transmits this information to central processor which then processes the
data to compute the position, polarity and number of strokes in each lightning flash and
plots it on a given map. The network can detect intra-cloud, cloud-to-ground or total
number of flashes in a given area. Therefore, the network will be useful to detect, locate
and map the lightning activity occurring in a storm and follow its development in real
time. In addition, this information can be transmitted to different users by the central
processor. The end-products of a lightning flash occurring anywhere in the area are
transmitted to the users within a few seconds. Initially it is proposed to setup a network
of 10-15 different sensors and a central processor. The central processor can be located
at the IITM, Pune and the sensors can be installed in different areas of activity. Since
such a network will be very useful in the national projects such as Severe Thunderstorm
– Regional Modeling and Observations (STORM), Continental Tropical Convergence
Zone (CTCZ) etc. currently being undertaken by the Department of Science and
Technology, it is proposed to set up this network in the northeast India along the Indo-
Gangetic plains. Additional sensors can always be added and thus the area of
investigation be expanded by adding more sensors to the network. Alternately, these
sensors can be shifted to different areas. The system will be useful for the following
activities:
• To study the spatial and temporal distribution of lightning through the life-history of a
thunderstorm as the storm moves from one place to other.
• For the development of theoretical models for very short range forecasting
(nowcasting) of the weather.
• To study the relationship of lightning activity with the development of microphysics
and dynamics of the thunderstorm.
• In several areas of practical importance such as aviation, power generation, forest
fires, recreation, defence and for the protection of the life and property on the
ground.
iii)Simultaneous measurements of large scale environment are essential for
measurements of cloud microphysics, cloud electricity and aerosols. This was not
possible due to lack of availability of a dedicated GPS radiosonde. The GPS radiosonde
would be useful for various national campaigns and also across the divisions. For the
activities mentioned below:
• To take atmospheric soundings simultaneously with measurements of electrical
parameters, cloud microphysical measurements, aerosol characteristics
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measurements at Pune. Pune is not a IMD regular Radiosonde station. This will fulfill
a long lasting need for simultaneous soundings required for many studies.
• To take the instrument in to the field campaign and take soundings along with other
measurements.
• Such simultaneous measurements are going to be valuable in resolving many issues
that could not be resolved in such field campaigns.
iv) Observational Network for Urban Air Pollution Modelling is proposed in order to
develop and validate the urban air pollution model, continuous measurements from a
mesonet of stations is proposed. Setting up of around 10 pollution monitoring stations
within the model domain (initially within local grid of radius 50-100 km around Pune) for
validation and baseline model input (NOx, CO, O3, Hydrocarbons, Suspended
Particulate matters, and SO2) is proposed.
9.3.7 Training Programme
For the monsoon prediction programme of the country to be successful anytime in
the future, a large pool of very well trained scientists are required who will be strong in
modelling, conversant with coupled models and also have good knowledge of oceanic
and atmospheric observations and tropical dynamics. IITM is well placed to train such a
pool of scientists for the nation. For this purpose, an extensive and sustained training
programme is required. A two pronged approach is proposed.
i) In-house Training
An in-house in depth structured training is proposed to be given to the Research
Fellows and young scientists (Senior Scientific Assistants and Scientists B). This will
expose the young scientists to the important and exciting problems and develop the
necessary analytical skills to address them. A core course programme is already
planned to be started from August 2006. This will primarily be taught by IITM scientists
with a few specialized invited lectures from eminent scientists. A Training Laboratory
equipped with multimedia and audiovisual tools for interactive training will be developed
As this training requires demonstration with computer models, visualization and analysis
of large volume of data, such a facility will be very helpful.
ii) Specialized Training
While the in-house training is essential, it would take time to create experts in
different areas required to achieve the goal of focused programmes. For this, it is
proposed to select a set of about 40 young scientists (B & above level) for specialized
training in different areas required to achieve the goal of the focused programmes. They
would be trained in international centres of excellence, if necessary, at the Institute’s
cost. Few internationally reputed scientists would also be invited at IITM to spend some
time and train some scientists in specialized areas. Necessary expenses for inviting
such scientists will be part of this programme.
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9.3.8 Information system in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
The Library, Information and Publication Division of the IITM serves as the
comprehensive Information Resource System in the field of Meteorology and
Atmospheric Sciences. Scientists, academicians and students from the field of
meteorology and atmospheric sciences from all the corners of the country use the library
of the Institute extensively. With the increasing research activities of the Institute, growth
of research community in the field of meteorology and the impact of interdisciplinary
studies demand has considerably been increased for the sophisticated and instant
library & information services. To cope with this situation the existing library, information
and publication activities in the Institute will be enhanced and modernized with latest
equipment and advanced information technology for storage, retrieval and dissemination
of information. Moreover, a programme for science popularization like summer training,
experts’ lectures, exposure to research activities etc. especially for students of high
schools and junior colleges to attract them towards meteorology as their professional
career is considered to be essential. Latest science communication equipment will be
acquired and science popularization kits, models and exhibits will be prepared for such
programmes.
New Scheme : Climate Dynamics and Extended Range Prediction of Monsoon
Components 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12 (Rs in
crores)
Dynamical Prediction System of 3.00 05.00 04.00 03.50 02.00 17.50
Seasonal Mean Monsoon Rainfall
Extended- Range Prediction of Active 1.50 01.00 02.50 02.50 03.00 10.50
and Break Spells of the Monsoon
Science of Climate Change and 01.30 02.00 01.00 00.90 00.50 05.70
Monsoon
Urban Air pollution and Transport 02.00 02.00 00.50 00.50 00.50 05.50
Modelling
High Performance Computer 40.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 60.00
Observation Programmes for Studies 48.00 01.00 01.70 01.00 01.10 52.80
of Interaction between Clouds and
their Environment including
acquisition of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning Network
• Atmospheric Pollution Prediction
System
• GPS Radiosonde
Training Programme 09.00 0.4.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 25.00
Information System in Meteorology 03.00 0.2.50 01.50 01.50 01.50 10.00
and Atmospheric Sciences
Total of B (New Scheme) 107.80 22.50 20.20 18.90 17.60 187.00
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10. Manpower Development
For the continuation of the existing schemes under the X Five-Year plan and
implementation of the new schemes in the XI Five-Year plan, it is very essential to
ensure that the centre has the critical mass of scientific and technical manpower.
At present IMD has 4300 personnel posted in scientific and technical cadres out
of which 278 are under Plan Schemes and the remaining 4022 under various Non Plan
Schemes. These people are engaged in different scientific activities viz. meteorological
reporting, data processing, analysis, forecasting, preparation of products for specialized
services, environmental monitoring, R&D, QA/QC exercises, information handling,
instrument calibration, inspection, maintenance of monitoring and communication
equipment etc. Most of the activities pertain to work introduced in earlier schemes and
continue as mainstay operations.
Qualifications for manpower recruitment are science graduation at the lower
levels and post graduation in Physics, Mathematics and specializations such as
Agronomy, Agrometeorology, Engineering graduation for Instrumentation and Hydrology
etc at higher levels. Training programmes of IMD target three different levels. The first is
of junior level operators who are made conversant with basics of atmospheric science
and standard practices in information preprocessing for the purpose of predictions. They
are made adept in handling computers and monitoring equipment. At the second level
the training includes specialized subjects of meteorology and caters to the requirements
of supervision of technical functions including quality control and maintenance. The
advanced level includes forecasters, specialized service providers and instrumentation
personnel. The subjects are taught to them in great depth and include all the frontier
areas of the science. Further, there are several refresher courses for selected personnel
for updating knowledge content in specific areas. Finally, with each major acquisition of
a new generation of operational equipment personnel are trained in their handling and
retrieval of scientific information.
In the new scenario sophisticated instrumentation will be introduced in a big way,
data retrieval from satellites and Radars will become very significant and complex
numerical modeling at global and regional levels will be used as principal methods.
Thus, adequate manpower will have to be provided to handle these responsibilities. At
present absence of recruitments over an extended period of time for various reasons
has depleted the number of available manpower and has increased the average age
thereby constraining capacity building. Thus new schemes in the XI th plan must be
complemented with appropriate staff requirements and a strengthening of the training
programmes. The additional manpower requirements have been worked out after
consideration of redeployment of existing staff with rehabilitative training.
IMD will continue to provide and maintain training facilities for imparting the
necessary professional skills to its personnel to enable them to meet the growing
demands of work. Computer-aided Learning would be introduced in a big way. The
Central Training Institute at Pune will be supported by specialized training centres at
Pune, New Delhi and regional centres. Capsule courses offered on the network will give
opportunities to individuals to improve their knowledge in various disciplines through self
study.
In a supportive role the IMD presently has 2073 personnel who are engaged in
administration, documentation, housekeeping and manual help. With a large number of
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functional units at different locations the proportion of support staff to the scientific and
technical ones is bound to be some what high. However, in the incremental projection for
the XI Plan the number has been kept to a small figure of ~8% because the new
schemes would generally be supported by existing establishments.
While the manpower requirement of IMD has been stipulated above, NCMRWF
and IITM have requirements specific to their mandate and changing requirements in
their respective fields viz. computational/ numerical modeling/ services and research in
tropical meteorology/ climate dynamics/ monsoon prediction respectively.
The overall position of manpower is provided below:
Scientific and Admin Posts and TOTAL
Technical Posts Support staff
Current XI plan Current XI plan Current XI plan
Manpower Reqmt- Manpower Reqmt- Manpower Reqmt-
Additional Additional Additional
IMD 4300 1243 2073 103 6373 1346
NCMRWF 34 219 10 25 44 244
IITM 163 56 84 -- 247 56
Total 4497 1518 2167 128 6664 1646
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11. Scheme wise Outlays For XI Five Year Plan
(2007-2012)
1. CONTINUING SCHEME
A. IMD
Rs. In crores
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12
1. Space Meteorology 30.84 33.24 32.50 12.00 18.00 126.58
2. Meteorological
Telecommunication 46.10 33.40 19.15 3.73 1.21 103.59
3. Observational 101.22 130.80 136.80 129.60 66.00
Organization 564.42
4. Instrumentation 41.10 93.03 84.80 25.16 22.88
Development 266.97
5. Cyclone Warning & 42.40 147.66 205.62 243.88 476.40
Research 1115.96
6. Forecasting 65.00 25.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
Services 105.00
7. Aviation Services 92.80 115.80 172.20 255.80 301.00
937.60
8. Hydro Met Services 10.36 16.88 9.89 1.81 1.55
40.49
9. Agro Met Services 141.40 144.92 148.54 152.15 10.58
597.59
10. Seismology 17.46 26.86 16.78 18.15 8.98 88.23
11. Seismic Hazard & 55.62 57.30 53.10 61.14 71.22
Risk Evaluation 298.38
12. Environmental 6.00 4.20 3.60 3.60 4.80
Studies 22.20
13. Research 6.94 3.10 2.21 2.21 2.21 16.67
14. Human Resource 8.04 9.84 8.04 6.24 5.04
Development 37.20
15. National / 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40
International
Cooperation 2.00
16. Infrastructural 74.72 109.98 107.93 102.74 28.72
Development and
maintenance 424.09
Sub-Total I-A 740.40 952.41 1006.56 1023.61 1023.99 4746.97
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B. NCMRWF
Rs. In crores
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total
08 09 12
1 Global Modeling 1.38 2.02 2.81 2.91 2.69 11.81
and Data
Assimilation System
2 Meso-scale 0.50 0.82 1.10 1.26 1.26
Modeling and Data 4.94
Assimilation System
3 Extended/Seasonal 0.27 0.58 0.70 0.67 0.52
Prediction System 2.74
4 Computer/Network 0.50 0.74 1.02 1.10 1.10
Infrastructure and 4.46
Services
5. Agromet advisory
5.1 Agro-met Advisory 1.08 1.23 1.76 1.77 1.62 7.46
System
5.2 District-level Agro- 0.54 0.82 0.98 0.98 0.68 4.00
meteorological
Advisory Service
5.3 Grant-in-Aid for 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 12.70 63.50
AMFUs
Sub-Total I-B 16.97 18.91 21.07 21.39 20.57 98.91
C. IITM
Continuing Schemes : Research in Tropical Meteorology
1 Asian Monsoon
06.00 03.00 03.00 02.00 02.00 17.00
Variability and
Predictability
2 Application of
06.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Satellite Data in
Weather Fore-
casting and Large-
Scale Hydrological
Modelling
3 Short-Term Climate
06.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Diagnostics and
Prediction
4 Cloud Modelling
05.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 21.00
5 Middle Atmosphere
05.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 04.00 21.00
Dynamics
6 Aerosol and Climate
05.00 04.00 03.00 03.00 03.00 18.00
Studies
Sub-Total I-C 33.00 21.00 20.00 19.00 20.00 113.00
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2. NEW SCHEMES PROPOSED DURING XI PLAN
A. IMD
S.No. Schemes - 2007- 2008- 2009-10 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 11 12
1 District 19.20 55.20 30.00 40.80 58.80 204.00
Meteorological
Information Centres
2 Early Warning 2.95 21.66 23.19 23.16 13.04 84.00
System
3 Climate Research & 2.64 12.78 1.68 1.86 1.92 20.88
Monitoring
Sub Total 2-A 24.79 89.64 54.87 65.82 73.76 308.88
B. NCMRWF
1 Satellite Radiance 0.27 0.58 0.74 0.67 0.75 3.01
Data Assimilation
2 Climate Modeling 0.69 0.59 0.86 0.56 0.56 3.26
System
3 Environmental 0.23 0.31 0.20 0.20 0.20 1.14
Prediction System
4 Computer/Network 80.00 20.00 15.00 65.00 8.00 188.00
Infrastructure
Upgradation
5 Infrastructure 35.60 19.60 18.60 6.60 6.50 86.90
Development Other
Facilities and
capacity building
Sub Total 2-B 116.79 41.08 35.4 73.03 16.01 282.31
C. IITM
New Scheme : Climate Dynamics and Extended Range Prediction of Monsoon
1 Dynamical 3.00 05.00 04.00 03.50 02.00 17.50
Prediction System
of Seasonal Mean
Monsoon Rainfall
2 Extended- Range 1.50 01.00 02.50 02.50 03.00 10.50
Prediction of Active
and Break Spells of
the Monsoon
3 Science of Climate 01.30 02.00 01.00 00.90 00.50 05.70
Change and
Monsoon
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4 Urban Air pollution 02.00 02.00 00.50 00.50 00.50 05.50
and Transport
Modelling
5 High Performance 40.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 05.00 60.00
Computer
6 Observation 48.00 01.00 01.70 01.00 01.10 52.80
Programmes for
Studies of
Interaction between
Clouds and their
Environment
including acquisition
of
• Doppler Radar
• Lightning
Network
• Atmospheric
Pollution
Prediction
System
• GPS Radiosonde
7 Training 9.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 25.00
Programme
8 Information System 3.00 2.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 10.00
in Meteorology and
Atmospheric
Sciences
Sub-Total 2 -C 107.80 22.50 20.20 18.90 17.60 187.00
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Yearwise Summary of Financial Requirement
Rs. In crores
Scheme 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- Total
08 09 10 11 12
Atmospheric Continuing 740.40 952.41 1006.56 1023.61 1023.99 4746.97
Sciences-
IMD
New 24.79 89.64 54.87 65.82 73.76 308.88
Total 765.19 1042.05 1061.43 1089.43 1097.75 5055.85
(IMD)
Atmospheric Continuing 16.97 18.91 21.07 21.39 20.57 98.91
Sciences-
NCMRWF
New 116.79 41.08 35.4 73.03 16.01 282.31
Total 133.76 59.99 56.47 94.42 36.58 381.22
(NCMRWF)
Atmospheric Continuing 33.00 21.00 20.00 19.00 20.00 113.00
Sciences-
IITM
New 107.80 22.50 20.20 18.90 17.60 187.00
Total 140.80 43.50 40.20 37.90 37.60 300.00
(IITM)
Grand
Total 1039.75 1145.54 1158.1 1221.75 1171.93 5737.07
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